India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests engages with GTI

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo hosted an important meeting of core Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) stakeholders on October 2, 2009, where a high-level delegation of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests, including Minister Jairam Ramesh and Secretary Vijai Sharma, dropped by to see presentations on the GTI Conservation and Development Practice Network, as well as on Smart Green Infrastructure (download Powerpoint presentation below) and on park manager performance assessments. The delegation was in Washington for meetings on climate change, pollution control, and carbon sequestration with various agencies of the US government.

Minister Ramesh actively engaged with GTI stakeholders, who included representatives of the Smithsonian Institution, the Save the Tiger Fund, World Wildlife Fund, International Tiger Coalition, US National Park Service and the World Bank. He expressed interest in “fringe” areas around tiger reserves and spoke to the importance of gaining the support and involvement of local communities in conservation, including assuring livelihoods security for people living in proximity of wildlife. Minister Ramesh cited scaled up corporate investment, such as the Royal Bank of Scotland’s $10 million project at the Simlipal Tiger Reserve for livelihoods security in communities near the reserve. The Minister suggested that a similar project with World Bank assistance in other fringe areas around one of the Nagarhole, Rajaji, Kaziranga, or Kanha tiger reserves could be arranged.

Participants at the meeting and presentation praised the Minister’s efforts in India as “ahead of the game,” and welcomed his stated efforts to strengthen anti-poaching laws in India, keeping infamous poachers jailed, and attempting to upgrade the technology of monitoring and surveillance equipment that are used in India’s tiger reserves.

Secretary Vijai Sharma also addressed the meeting, saying that one of the Global Tiger Initiative’s greatest endeavors will be to catalyze greater cross-border cooperation to stop tiger poaching and trade in tiger parts and derivatives.

As the discussion turned to activities and events connected to the upcoming “Year of the Tiger” in 2010, Minister Ramesh said that it was essential that India, home to 40% of the world’s remaining wild tigers, should have a strong leadership role in the coming calendar year, which is also the International Year of Biodiversity. In addition to holding a VIP event at the outset of the Year of the Tiger in Corbett National Park, the birthplace of India’s tiger conservation, and a high-visibility TIGER EXPO in Ranthambore in November 2010, he also expressed support for the idea of making biodiversity conservation part of the agenda at the next year’s G20 Summit in Seoul, Korea.

The energy and excitement in the room was palpable as a Minister from one of the key Tiger Range Countries displayed extensive knowledge about wildlife conservation and biodiversity issues, and showed a willingness to actively lead efforts toward policy reform and capacity-building. Acting Director of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Steven L. Monfort, who introduced the delegation, summed up the meeting by saying, “I feel something important has happened here today.”