Nepal To Become First Country To Double Its Tiger Population Under WWF Global Plan
A survey carried out earlier this year counted 235 tigers in Nepal, up from around 121 in 2009.
Nepal still has four years to increase its tiger population under the WWF plan. Photo: Petr David Josek | AP
Nepal is set to become the first country to double its tiger population as part of the World Wildlife Foundation's (WWF) "Tx2" programme which aims to double the number of tigers all over the world.
Nepal's wild tiger population has nearly doubled over the last nine years, officials said Monday, in a victory for the impoverished country's drive to save the endangered big cats.
Wildlife groups have welcomed the news as a sign that political involvement and innovative conservation strategies can reverse the decline of the majestic Royal Bengal tiger.
Exciting news! Wild tiger numbers have nearly doubled in Nepal due to conservation efforts. https://t.co/q255t4PsOb
— World Wildlife Fund (@World_Wildlife) September 23, 2018
A survey carried out earlier this year counted 235 tigers in Nepal, up from around 121 in 2009.
Conservationists and wildlife experts used more than 4,000 cameras and around 600 elephants, trawling a 2,700-kilometre (1,700-mile) route across Nepal's southern plains where the big cats roam.
Nepal to become first country to double its tiger population under @World_Wildlife (WWF) global plan https://t.co/HE7lujgpnX pic.twitter.com/32ggAeiOPi
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 24, 2018
"This is a result of concentrated unified efforts by the government along with the local community and other stakeholders to protect the tiger's habitat and fight against poaching," Man Bahadur Khadka, director general of Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, told AFP.
Deforestation, encroachment of habitat and poaching have devastated big cat numbers across Asia, but in 2010 Nepal and 12 other countries signed a pledge to double their tiger numbers by 2022.
The 2010 Tiger Conservation Plan -- which is backed by high profile figures including actor Leonardo DiCaprio -- quickly began bearing fruit, and in 2016 the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Tiger Forum announced that the wild tiger population had increased for the first time in more than a century.
I am proud of @dicapriofdn’s partnership with @World_Wildlife to support Nepal and local communities in doubling the population of wild tigers. https://t.co/RZzOCue1Dm
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) September 23, 2018
In 1900, more than 100,000 tigers roamed the world but that fell to an all-time low of 3,200 in 2010.
DiCaprio tweeted his support for Nepal's success: "I am proud of @dicapriofdn's partnership with @World_Wildlife to support Nepal and local communities in doubling the population of wild tigers."
Ghana Gurung, country representative of WWF in Nepal, said the country's progress was an example for tiger conservation globally.
"The challenge now is to continue these efforts to protect their habitats and numbers for the long-term survival of the tigers," he said.
This article is prepared with inputs from AFP, AF & AL Jazeera.
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