Youth delegates from 13 countries advocate for action for inclusive tiger conservation

Youth delegates from 13 tiger range countries met virtually on Friday, coinciding with the Global Tiger Day, advocating action for inclusive tiger conservation.

“We need youth to call out, fight for and take action for tigers because when we save tigers, we save so much more. You don’t have to be a conservationist to have a positive impact on nature or tigers,” said Dr Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF India.

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“You can have a positive impact on tigers in any capacity — as a lawyer, artist, businessperson, writer, bureaucrat, engineer, poet or doctor. All can contribute to conservation as long as your belief and desire to protect nature remains strong and firm,'' Dr Worah said at the International Tiger Youth Summit (ITYS) 2022.

The student delegation consisted of representatives from each of the 13 tiger range countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Indian delegation was represented by Chinmayi Ramasubramanian, a 17-year-old class 10 student from Bengaluru, and Soumil Nema, a 20-year-old college student from Hyderabad.

Youth representatives had an interactive session with the panel of tiger experts to discuss critical conservation challenges and get a wider perspective of tiger conservation across the globe.

The key point of the Summit was the student delegates announcing their recommendations highlighting the need to protect the tiger and contributing to the preparation of the 2022-23 Global Tiger Recovery Programme.

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The young leaders called on the governments of their respective countries to consider their recommendations for the prevention of tiger poaching and the restoration of their entire ecosystem. They advocated the creation of job opportunities for local communities near protected areas, to better protect these areas from poaching, to ensure that there is no conversion of tiger habitat for other purposes, and to increase forested areas and monitor the ecological base upon which the tiger depends.

The event was graced by the presence of renowned experts and advocates of tiger conservation from around the world — speaker Stuart Chapman, Lead, Tigers Alive Initiative; panelists Dr Rajesh Gopal, Secretary-General, Global Tiger Forum; Sophia Lim, CEO of WWF Malaysia; Dr Henry Chan, Conservation Director of WWF Malaysia; Dr Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF India; Dr Dipankar Ghose, Director, Landscapes & Habitats, WWF India; Tshering Tempa, Head, Bhutan Tiger Centre; and Emmanual Rondeau, filmmaker and photojournalist.