The World Bank Joins Fight to
Save Wild Tigers
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Robert B. Zoellick, President,
World Bank Group,
announces the Tiger Conservation Initiative at the
Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
Photo: © Simone D. McCourtie / World
Bank
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The World Bank announced the Tiger Conservation Initiative in
early June, as a new partnership to increase the resources available for
the protection of tigers. This announcement brought together celebrities
from Hollywood and Asia, and conservation leaders from governments and
civil society to formulate new strategies for tiger conservation. The
high-profile attention of this Initiative gives wild tigers a new hope
of a range-wide recovery.
Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group, affirmed that the
Bank’s commitment to support tiger conservation will be
comprehensive. This initiative represents a vital integration of
environmental planning and economic development. The World Bank provides
financial and technical assistance to developing countries through
grants and multi-million dollar loans.
Zoellick stated that, “Tigers are an umbrella species….the
health of the tiger population is an indicator of biodiversity and a
barometer of sustainability.” Tiger conservation faces both
environmental and social challenges due to the complexity of habitat
loss and degradation driven by expanding human populations and
associated economic and development needs for infrastructure and
resources. These threats to tigers are compounded by a recent surge in
poaching and an active illegal international trade of tiger parts.
The international scale of the problem overwhelms the capabilities of
individual countries attempting to solve the localized pressures on
tigers. Zoellick declared, “[the crisis facing tigers] is a
problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone.” The
Bank committed itself to five actions to help conserve wild tigers:
1)review the Bank Group’s projects in tiger habitats to learn
lessons from the past that will inform future engagement; 2) facilitate
country workshops and partnership to develop new conservation models; 3)
develop strategies to address illegal tiger trade and awareness
campaigns to counter the demand for tiger products worldwide; 4) develop
alternative and new funding mechanisms for tiger conservation; 5) host a
2010 ‘Year of the Tiger’ Summit to review the status
of tigers and their habitat and foster the necessary political
support.
Zoellick also expressed the need to integrate the priorities of the
environment with economic development activities. Economic development
is necessary to create incentives to conserve land and to reduce
poaching. Some of the World Bank’s previous investments
in critical tiger landscapes were criticized by conservationists
for having a significantly negative impact. Some remain skeptical that
this initiative will bring significant change the Bank’s
investments and its to affect the decline in tiger populations.
Importantly, Zoellick called for an evaluation of the Bank’s
projects in tiger habitats to improve conservation efforts and
mitigate the environmental impacts of projects supported by the
institution. It is imperative that the development projects value the
benefits of wildlife habitats.
Save The Tiger Fund (STF) staff provided expert advice to the Bank on
the value that its contribution would provide to the range-wide recovery
of tigers. STF will continue to provide information to ensure that the
Bank’s efforts have the maximum impact for tiger populations. John
Seidensticker, Chair of the STF Council, serves as the advisor to the
Bank and is a co-author of the report detailing investment opportunities
available to the Bank to promote tiger conservation.
 The World Bank
report, A Future for Wild Tigers,
describes the opportunities for integrating
conservation and development projects in detail.
Photo: © World Bank
For additional information on the Tiger
Conservation Initiative, go to: www.worldbank.org/tigers
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