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Tigers are far more than a single species. They are ecosystem engineers, revered across and beyond its range, spanning religious and spiritual systems. After decades of decline, the recovery of tigers in certain landscapes can be attributed to political will, long-term financing and meaningful partnership between governments, communities and civil society. For tigers to continue to survive and thrive, such momentum and investments need to be increased and sustained.
Partnership to secure a viable future for the tiger
The NGO coalition for tigers, which includes the world’s most prominent tiger non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations (FFI, IUCN, Panthera, WCS and WWF) was recently established around an initial goal of releasing a joint vision for how the tiger range countries and partners can best secure this species in the coming years.
That collaborative effort produced the Securing a Viable Future for the Tiger vision, released in January 2022. This document suggested a number of range-wide goals and approaches which the tiger range countries negotiating the next 12-year commitment period might incorporate in order to strengthen that intergovernmental effort. In addition to outlining approaches that might reverse declines or threats where tigers exist, it also makes a strong case for prioritising and planning the expansion of tiger range over the coming decade. After releasing this vision, this partnership subsequently engaged with the Global Tiger Forum and other organisations to advocate for such improvements.
This coalition for tigers is growing its ambition and reach since the foundation of the vision. We have jointly hosted events, including one at Convention on Biological Diversity COP-15 (part-II) in Montreal, regarding the potential to use tigers and other Big Cats as indicators for tracking broader biodiversity progress. The partnership has also begun to outline joint efforts for 2023 including a series of national-level meetings with tiger range state governments to improve and maximise the conservation impact of the recently launched Tiger Conservation Landscape 3.0 Analytical Tool. Another important effort underway, involves the design of a major international event that would expand financing for tiger conservation during the next 12-year recovery period.
GLOBAl TIGER RECOVERY PROGRAMME 2022-34
The first iteration of the Global Tiger Recovery Program from 2010 to 2022 sought to empower tiger range countries to address the entire spectrum of threats, both domestic and transboundary in nature, and work toward increased financial sustainability. The foundation of the program was 13 individual National Tiger Recovery Plans outlining urgent priority activities each tiger range country needed to fulfil to contribute to the global goal.
Throughout 2022, WWF worked with partners to strengthen commitment renewals for a Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) 2.0, which will again centre around a 12-year cycle (2022-2034) linked to the lunar Year of the Tiger. During this period, WWF secured expert consultants to provide strategic inputs into the design of GTRP 2.0 which is led by the Global Tiger Forum. The approach has already had a positive impact in some areas, such as the streamlining and simplification of GTRP key performance indicators that will inform progress against the National Tiger Recovery Plans. These consultants also provided the push needed to get top-level goals discussed at an intergovernmental meeting in New Delhi, India at the end of November 2022. At the close of the meeting, four separate draft goals were being discussed, with some of those aligning closely with the priorities suggested by the NGO coalition and consultants. Further refinements will be needed however, with a final GTRP to be published and endorsed in 2023.
Earlier in the year, in January 2022 Malaysia held the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation which was hosted by a Southeast Asian country for the first time since 2010. This was an important moment - and hopefully a turning point - for a region that has struggled to meet the ambitions of the GTRP (2010-2022). The event included an address by the Malaysian Prime Minister, and strong statements from the majority of tiger range country representatives who participated. Ministers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, and Viet Nam were present, while deputy ministers or similar represented Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, and Russia. WWF also advocated to ensure that Kazakhstan (future tiger reintroduction site) was formally brought into inter-governmental meetings from this point forward. In this first formal appearance Kazakhstan was represented by their Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife.
Southeast Asia Tiger Recovery Action Plan
The severity of the collapse of tiger numbers has continued to be felt in Southeast Asia over the last 12 years. Most of these countries have experienced significant declines in tigers, with three (Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam) having completely lost their wild tigers in recent years. As such, tiger conservation leadership emanating from the region itself is critically needed. To do so, WWF supported and pushed for the development of a Southeast Asia Tiger Recovery Action Plan (STRAP) whereby countries would contribute defined measurable actions to be delivered in less than three years. Throughout 2022 there were some positive developments on this front, with six of seven countries engaged in shaping STRAP commitments. Malaysia increased their political ownership for finalising the STRAP in August, with a further commitment to explore the formation of a STRAP Secretariat with input from WWF. Such a body would add a much needed forum for Southeast Asian tiger range countries to address their unique challenges.
A WAve of change in Malaysia
Over the course of a year, there has been an immense political breakthrough in Malaysia for tiger conservation. Following years of advocacy efforts by WWF-Malaysia, the government made multiple strategic moves that enhanced tiger recovery efforts domestically and set a benchmark for other Southeast Asian countries to follow.
After years of steady decline in tiger numbers, with a record low of less than 150 tigers recorded in Malaysia in 2019, it was beginning to look like tigers were rapidly heading towards national extinction. However, the establishment of the Malaysian Tiger Task Force in January is likely the most substantial move made by the government in recent years to save their tigers. The Prime Minister of Malaysia is for the first time directly involved in the chairing of a major government-wide meeting on tiger recovery. The inaugural meeting, in January 2022, included other important political powers such as the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, representatives of various agencies, and numerous state executive councillors. The Prime Minister will chair one such meeting a year, with multiple additional meetings held at the ministerial, state, and technical levels.
Plans for a new Tiger Unit spread across eight states and the central government was also announced in 2022. If implemented, it would significantly expand the scientific-technical capacity dedicated to tigers within the country. This could bring about a wave of change throughout the country and by extension the region.
Further to this, the government has also advanced a commitment to establish a dedicated Wildlife Crime Bureau within the Royal Malaysia Police, which will include as many as 50 staff spread across both federal and state levels in the country. That move comes in addition to a considerable increase in the total number of rangers working in tiger landscapes, as part of an initiative that has seen hundreds of new rangers (including Orang Asli indigenous rangers) introduced across Malaysian protected areas during the calendar year.
International Tiger Youth Summit 2022
WWF hosted the second International Tiger Youth Summit on 28 July 2022. The Summit convened 26 youth delegates from 13 tiger range countries with tiger conservation experts and partners in order to:
- Build awareness and understanding among the youth regarding the importance of tigers for the future of our planet and people.
- Share the youth’s recommendations on urgent steps toward tiger conservation to be taken by governments, civil society and citizens.
The theme for the event, ‘Roar for Tigers’, was chosen to exhort and inspire youth to action to secure the tiger’s future. The live event had over 2,700 people sign in from 42 countries and culminated in a Youth Declaration presented to the Global Tiger Forum. With a direct reach of 10,000 and an indirect reach of 99,000, the International Tiger Youth Summit performed well in all tiger range countries as well as internationally.
WWF-Singapore's AR-mazing Tiger Trail
This impressive island-wide trail exhibited 33 life-sized tiger sculptures were exhibited across Singapore to celebrate this magnificent animal and raise awareness for the challenges facing wild tigers today. The sculptures were designed by a collective of over 60 global and local artists from 14 countries each presenting a unique perspective on how climate change, poaching and deforestation is affecting tigers in the wild.
The highly-visual, gamified trail encouraged visitors to further engage with the sculptures and deepen their understanding of the issues facing tiger conservation through a series of quizzes and Instagram AR filters, which could be unlocked at each sculpture on the trail.
The key objectives of Tiger Trail were to raise awareness of biodiversity in Singapore and the region by using tigers as a key indicator, whilst simultaneously showcasing local and international artists, and profiling local iconic tourism hotspots and businesses, whilst raising vital funds for tiger conservation. Over 2,900 people participated in the Trail and the media reach was over 1 million. 55 sponsors and partners provided vital sponsorships and services to make Tiger Trail happen and marking the conclusion of the trail, WWF, together with Sotheby’s, launched an online auction in April 2022 to mobilise resources for tiger recovery in Southeast Asia.
© Georges Nader & WWF-Singapore
© Georges Nader & WWF-Singapore
Tiger Dialogues in India
Tiger Dialogues was a first of its kind series of moderated panel discussions co-hosted by WWF-India, WCS-India, and Panthera. The discussions focused on tiger conservation in India in its historical context and brought current conversations into sharp focus, broadening opportunities and constituencies for tiger conservation. The sessions were attended by a wide variety of stakeholders including conservationists, park managers, biologists, educationists, historians and researchers from across the world. The topics included the consequences of habitat fragmentation on tiger populations, exploring the tiger's life history to understand how they have adapted to ever-changing landscapes, and the limits of behavioural adaptation, beyond which the species’ demography is likely to be adversely impacted. A session around lessons learnt from successfully conserving tigers particularly drew the audience to come up with interesting insights which can be taken forward.
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