Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin has said the 13 tiger range countries of the world should work together in their continued efforts to save tigers as well as the nature.
Virtually addressing the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation held in Malaysia on Friday, he also said the Bangladesh government is working with determination to conserve wild tigers by achieving a zero-poaching target with the active participation of the local community.
He said the government is implementing National Tiger Recovery Programme (2017-2022) and second-generation Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan (2018-2027) which include tiger survey, genetic study, SMART patrolling and monitoring by drone inside the Sundarbans, capacity-building programmes for Forest Department officials and staff as well as the local community to ensure protection and conservation of the Sundarbans and the Bengal Tiger. Shahab Uddin said the government has engaged the local community in tiger conservation activities by forming Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), Co-management Committee (CMC) and Community Petrol Group (CPG) to mitigate tiger-human conflicts.
It is mentionable that the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation set the common goal of stabilising wild tiger population and its prey, as well as strengthening the conservation efforts addressing new issues within the tiger range countries.
Representatives of the tiger range countries vowed to protect tigers and prevent the degradation of their habitat as well as their ecological linkages.
The conference also resolved to undertake regular country-level monitoring and assessment of wild tiger, prey and habitat, and to strengthen enforcement capacity using appropriate and standard technology for continuous and systematic patrolling to safeguard tiger, prey and habitat.
They also decided to strengthen capacity development for all stakeholders, including the increased use of appropriate technology to improve management effectiveness, and create a platform for interactive knowledge exchange at all levels, and to enhance transboundary and bilateral cooperation for tiger conservation.
