The three-day Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 12. This is the third such conference on tiger conservation.
In a prelude to this high-level meeting, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar called upon the various tiger range countries to adopt the best practices in tiger conservation. A meeting convened by the minister was attended by four Tiger Range countries - Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Russia.
Speaking on the occasion, Javadekar said that there are only 13 countries that have the pride of having tigers in the wild and tiger-bearing areas in the world. India is proud to hold such a prestigious meeting on tigers.
It was preceded by a presentation on the background of the previous Asia Ministerial Conferences, and a presentation in this regard was made by Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) BS Bonal. It brought out the contribution of NTCA and milestones achieved in tiger conservation in the country.
The meeting highlighted that the biggest threat to tiger conservation is poaching, due to the existing market and demand for tiger body parts and derivatives in other countries. Thus, there is a need for a sustained effort from all Tiger Range Countries and other partners outside the government system. The meeting hoped that the conference will bring the desired momentum for tiger conservation at global level and have long-term ramifications in the future.