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| Sustainable Finance Conference 2024: Preserving Tiger Landscapes in Bhutan |
Bhutan is set to host the Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference on Earth Day 2024. This initiative aims to secure $1 billion in new funding over the next decade for the preservation of tiger landscapes across Asia. These landscapes play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity, sequestering carbon, supporting over 100 million people, and ensuring the overall health of the planet.
Conference Details:
Under the patronage of Bhutan’s Queen, Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, the two-day conference is co-organized by the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Tiger Conservation Coalition. It will feature expert panels discussing sustainable finance, linkages with the UN’s Global Biodiversity Framework, and the role of public-private partnerships in safeguarding tiger landscapes.
Importance of Tiger Conservation:
Tigers are the largest felids and apex predators, essential for ecosystem structure and function. They are "landscape" species, requiring large areas with diverse habitats, free from human disturbance and rich in prey. These landscapes are critical in a climate-changing world, as they are indicative of healthy and vibrant ecosystems.
Global Tiger Population:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature announced a potential 40% increase in the global tiger population, from 3,200 in 2015 to 4,500 in 2022, despite extreme threats. This marks a potential climb in the species’ numbers for the first time in decades.
Tiger Conservation in India:
India has shown significant progress in tiger conservation, with the latest figures indicating a rise in their numbers. The tiger population increased to 3,167 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018. India hosts approximately 75% of the global tiger population, with Madhya Pradesh having the highest number of tigers. Project Tiger, launched in 1973, has played a crucial role in this conservation effort. However, challenges such as habitat loss, poaching, and human-animal conflicts persist.
Key Facts:
The Global Environment Facility has provided over $197 million in financing and mobilized another $880 million in co-finance for tiger conservation since 2010. Tiger range countries and the conservation community have made remarkable progress in protecting the species in recent years, with several populations witnessing an increase in numbers. The collaboration of minds from diverse public and private sectors is crucial to strategically securing a long-term future for the tiger.
The Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference 2024 in Bhutan represents a significant step towards mobilizing the necessary funds for the long-term conservation of tigers and their habitats across Asia.