REFLECTIONS FROM TIGER ADVISORY GROUP WORKSHOP, BHUTAN

Time is running out for tigers. These endangered big cats desperately need your protection or soon we'll lose them forever. By adopting a tiger today, you could help tackle the daily dangers they face and help their population thrive.

By Dr Leonie Valentine, Senior Manager Species Conservation, WWF-Australia.

It is a long way to Bhutan from the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland that I call home.

After more than a day of travelling, and an overnight stay in Bangkok, I was feeling excited as we neared our destination. Thick cloud obscured any views for much of the flight from Bangkok, but as we approached Paro, Bhutan, glimpses of mountain peaks started to emerge. With no radar to guide planes landing at Bhutan’s only international airport, the pilots must fly their aircrafts entirely on manual, winding their way among the eastern Himalayan mountain peaks that reach as high as 5,500m. Considered one of the most challenging airplane landings in the world, our pilot makes a smooth touchdown on the second attempt.

My colleague Patrick Giumelli (Threatened Species Manager) and I are part of a consortium of WWF staff converging in Bhutan to talk tigers – specifically tiger conservation. WWF-Bhutan is hosting the WWF Tiger Advisory Group meeting, with representatives from several tiger range countries, including Bhutan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Laos and Vietnam, as well as representatives from donor countries, like Australia, USA, Sweden, UK and WWF International. We gather to share the wins and challenges that have occurred in the last year and to support and shape the future direction for WWF’s tiger conservation objectives.

Bhutan - The Land of the Thunder Dragon

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small country nestled between China and India, renowned for its high biodiversity and strong cultural integrity. The country has only accepted foreign visitors in the last 50 years, and the relative isolation of Bhutan is thought to have preserved the strong cultural connection to nature. With nearly 70% of Bhutan’s forests intact and more than 50% of the country under protected area designation, Bhutan’s commitment to nature conservation is outstanding.

Collaborating closely with the Bhutanese Government, WWF-Bhutan is working to ensure tigers remain a part of Bhutan’s unique heritage. Bhutanese culture often reveres tigers for their spiritual role in Buddhism (the principal religion in Bhutan), as the only living member of the four protective animals: Seng (mythical snow lion), Chung (mythical Garuda), Druk (mythical dragon) and Tag (tiger). Wherever I ventured in the town of Paro or Thimphu (the capital of Bhutan), I loved the abundance of symbolism of these four protective animals, where the tiger was woven into everyday spaces.

It is my first time attending a Tiger Advisory Group meeting in person. For the last 18 months, I’ve been redirecting my mostly Australian threatened species experience to supporting tiger conservation outcomes by working with WWF partner offices in tiger range countries.

For many years, WWF-Australia has been a supporter of tiger conservation, though more recently, we’ve started to become seriously invested in the joint efforts to recover one of the world’s most iconic species. WWF-Australia is now supporting conservation initiatives in five tiger range countries, including India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. My role includes working with WWF country partners, like India, where 65% of the global population of wild tigers occurs, to support the implementation of several conservation initiatives.

In the Terai Arc Landscape of northern India, we are working at scale to increase the connectivity of habitat between established tiger reserves and provide support for communities that share their lives with tigers. In the Brahmaputra landscape of Assam, we are supporting tiger protection at the interface of the World Heritage Kaziranga National Park and working with local communities in the Karbi Anglong district to establish community conservation areas.

Tiger Conservation Successes and Challenges

Without a doubt, the greatest win for tiger conservation in the last decade has been an increase in the global wild tiger population. A year ago, on Global Tiger Day 2023, the most recent population estimate was released, with a predicted global tiger population of over 5,500 wild individuals; this increase represented an incredible turnaround from the drastically low estimate of 3,200 tigers 12 years earlier. The change in tiger population has been particularly marked in countries like Bhutan, India, China and Nepal – where the intensive conservation commitments and actions of governments and eNGOs (like WWF) have been successful.

Stories of conservation successes from WWF staff in tiger range countries included:

• Reduced illegal wildlife crime after WWF facilitated government-led cooperation to improve wildlife law enforcement
• Increased connectivity in landscapes that can support tigers by WWF coordinated cooperation across political boundaries (within and between countries), and
• Supporting community-based conservation initiatives to reduce human-tiger conflict.

Despite a commendable list of achievements for tiger conservation, WWF staff at the Bhutan workshop also shared heartbreaking stories of tiger losses. The illegal wildlife trade in tigers (and their prey) is an ever-present threat. While this problem may seem overwhelming, there are many avenues that exist to tackle it. We know that the presence of forest rangers in tiger reserves, actively patrolling to remove illegal snares and other wildlife traps, is a key component to reducing tiger mortality.

Outside of patrolled reserves, tigers are especially vulnerable to poaching and habitat destruction. In these landscapes, the support of communities who are willing to coexist with tigers is an essential element for reducing the impacts of illegal wildlife trade. WWF are working with communities and government to identify habitat corridors that connect critical tiger reserves, and seeking solutions for human-tiger conflict, to support tiger recovery beyond protected areas. Determining how to sustainably finance the long-term conservation activities required to ensure tigers keep recovering is a daunting task.

Globally, there is rising interest in sustainable financing opportunities for conservation. In April 2024, the world’s first Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference was hosted by The Queen of Bhutan and The Royal Government of Bhutan, supported by the global Tiger Conservation Coalition, of which WWF is a key member. The conference brought together tiger range country conservation experts, representatives from government and visionary private and public sector donors to inspire collaborations and seek solutions for sustainable financing for tiger conservation. Tackling the ongoing need for sustainable financing that will support the implementation of conservation activities in tiger range landscapes will be a focus for the WWF Tiger Advisory Group in the years to come.

Even with the continuing tiger conservation challenges, I found the Tiger Advisory Group workshop full of hope. The meeting was bursting with caring, determined people who want to create change for tigers, by blending science-based information with compassion for people and nature. The opportunity to connect with other senior conservation staff was extraordinary. Many of us discussed the challenge of being a committed conservationist while juggling familial responsibilities as working parents, carers or family members. Even though we come from different countries, cultures and faiths, our experiences in this was the same.

While hiking up to Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest monastery) with the Conservation Director of WWF-Bhutan, Kezang Yangden, and the Chief Executive Director of WWF-Malaysia, Sophia Lim, we shared stories of how our love of nature shaped our work-lives. We all left the workshop feeling excited by the opportunities that we can create change for tigers and feeling connected through our common cause.

For me personally, I will treasure the time in Bhutan, where my working relationships transitioned into valued friendships.