WWF 22 Dec 08;
Petaling Jaya, Selangor – Conservation groups welcome the release of the much-anticipated National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia, an important milestone in tiger conservation for Malaysia.
The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society (Malaysia Programme) and WWF-Malaysia look forward to implementing this unique 12-year plan. Though ambitious, it presents a highly achievable conservation strategy that could secure and increase the number of wild tigers in Peninsular Malaysia.
“While this Plan is aimed at primarily saving the Malayan tiger, it will support our broader national conservation priorities through cross-sectoral issues, and bringing them together to a planned and strategic approach for implementation,” said Dr Loh Chi Leong, MNS Executive Director.
The aim of the Plan is to have 1,000 wild tigers surviving on wild prey in the Central Forest Spine by the year 2020 through securing key forests areas in landscapes connected with corridors, providing long-term on-the-ground protection of tigers and their prey, and promoting ecologically sound land-use practices. It prioritises three core areas, namely the Belum-Temengor Complex, the Greater Taman Negara Complex and the Endau-Rompin Complex.
According to Dr. Melvin Gumal, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (Malaysia Programme), the plan has realistic deliverables and timelines for delivery for all stakeholders.
“If everyone participates well and the deliverables are achieved, the whole is going to be definitely more than the sum of its parts – more tigers, more prey and ecologically sustainable forests all of which will benefit Malaysians and humanity,” he added.
The Plan was formulated in a participatory manner, beginning with the National Tiger Conservation Workshop in 2006 by DWNP in collaboration with the MNS, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society (Malaysia Programme) and WWF-Malaysia, using the collaborative platform of the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT). Other agencies involved in developing the Plan include the Department of Forestry Peninsular Malaysia and Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia.
Implementation of some of the actions contained in the Plan has already begun. One of the main challenges, however, is the implementation at the State level, as the Plan is still a Federal policy document. This is where a process of socialisation is critical, to adequately engage State-level stakeholders.
“A well coordinated effort between agencies at both the state and federal level, with non-governmental agencies, is necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the Plan”, says Azrina Abdullah, Regional Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
The Plan uses existing government policies and legislative structures relevant to wildlife conservation such as the National Policy on Biological Diversity, National Physical Plan and National Forestry Policy.
“This Plan will bring a higher sense of transparency and accountability to the processes and actions required to save Malaysia’s remaining wild tigers,” said Dato’ Dr. Dionysius Sharma, CEO of WWF-Malaysia.
“Now, let’s show the world that Malaysia can, and will work together to ensure that one of Earth’s most iconic species will continue to thrive in our forests.”
This is a joint press release by the Malaysian Nature Society, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society (Malaysia Programme) and WWF-Malaysia.
Malaysia 'to double tiger stock'
BBC News 21 Dec 08;
Malaysia has launched a national plan to double the country's wild tiger population by 2020, activists say.
Conservation groups and the government have set an ambitious target of expanding the tiger population from 500 to around 1,000 over 12 years.
Numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades because of illegal hunting.
Conservationists say new security measures will prevent poaching and that jungle corridors will be restored so tigers can roam over larger areas.
The National Tiger Action Plan is the government's first concerted effort to reverse the decline in tiger numbers, instead of merely slowing it.
Although Malayan tigers have been protected by wildlife laws since the early 1970s, their numbers have been hit by demand for their meat and for body parts which are sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Authorities estimate the wild tiger population has fallen from 3,000 to 500 in the past 50 years, largely due to illegal hunting and the human encroachment and destruction of the tigers' natural jungle habitat.
Malaysia's tropical forests are home to a wide range of threatened animals, including orang-utans, Borneo sun bears, Sumatran rhinoceroses and pygmy elephants.
