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Last Updated : Thursday, September 02, 2010
Conservation
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| Commerce for Conservation: A proposal to save the tiger | | Sustainable Development Network | | India | Press Release
| Sunday, June 03, 2007 | | Wild tiger populations are at crisis point across Asia. For three decades, conservation policies have focussed on 4 Ps – Prohibition on hunting and trade, Protection of habitat, Promotion of awareness and Policing. It is time to re-evaluate these existing strategies, and to explore alternative conservation measures. Property rights in wildlife and wilderness areas could unleash the power of commerce for the cause of conservation. Save the Tiger Initiative of the Sustainable Development Network, invites organisations and individuals to join this coalition to secure the future of Tigers Forever | Commerce for Conservation A proposal to save the tiger Sustainable Development Network – Save the Tiger Initiative June 2007 Save the Tiger Initiative of SDN welcomes comments, and invites organisations and individuals to endorse this statement, and join this coalition in an effort to secure the future of tigers. Email:mailto:TigerInitiative@gmail.com
Contents: Introduction The tiger in crisis Improving incentives for in situ conservation Reintroducing tigers Economic Development and Conservation Tigers – Better bred than dead Trade restrictions make smuggling profitable Demand for tiger products: a new opportunity for conservation Control and Monitoring mechanism Conclusion: Commerce for Conservation
Appendix 1: Sustainable Development Network Members 1. Introduction Wild tiger populations are at crisis point across Asia. For over three decades, conservation policies have focussed on 4 Ps – Prohibition on hunting and trade, Protection of habitat, Promotion of awareness and Policing. If the future of Asian tigers is to be secured, it is time to re-evaluate these existing strategies, and to explore alternative conservation measures. Two critical factors are missing from the conventional prescription – Property rights and Profit motive. Property rights in wildlife and wilderness areas could unleash the power of commerce for the cause of conservation. First, it allows local populations to profit from natural resources through opportunities like eco-tourism, giving people a stake in tiger conservation. It would also attract and encourage investment towards conservation. Secondly, investment in tiger breeding facilities could meet the market demand for tiger products in a cost effective way, greatly reducing the profitability of illegal trade. By making in situ conservation of tigers more viable and making poaching less profitable, a mutually beneficial marriage of conservation and commerce could be achieved. 2. The Tiger in Crisis Recent estimates by the Wildlife Institute of India put the number of tigers in India’s forests at between 1,500 and 2,000 – a sharp decline from the 3,500 estimated in 2002. This puts the global total at around 3,000 (assuming that India is host to 75% of the World’s wild tigers). But whether the total is 3000 or 7000 (the upper estimate sometimes given), the fact is that the wild tiger population is small and declining. Several factors contribute to this decline in numbers and fuel the prospect of extinction of tigers in the wild. Loss of habitat is the most significant: a recent report by conservation groups noted that in the past decade areas known to be inhabited by tigers have declined by 40 percent. Human-animal conflicts are also very serious: In India, every year about two hundred people lose their lives or are seriously injured and countless domestic animals are lost due to wildlife attacks in rural areas. Commercial poaching is a problem, though the exact scale remains unclear: there appears to be a gap between claims of poaching in India and the evidence of illegal trade in China; so where do these tigers come from? Another concern is the biological viability of small populations of tigers in isolated reserves scattered across India. Continuous inbreeding might contribute to genetic degeneration, undermining the viability of these isolated animals. So, to summarise, the key threats to the tiger are: 3. Improving incentives for in situ conservation Given the significance of habitat loss and human-tiger conflicts as factors, it makes sense to prioritise these in addressing the issue of wild tiger conservation. Habitat loss occurs primarily as a result of people converting forest into agricultural land (for crops or pasture). As their habitat declines, so tigers are forced into closer proximity to humans, which increases the threat of tigers attacking or killing people or domestic animals – with predictable responses from threatened people. People convert forest to agriculture because they lack other ways of producing food or otherwise earning a living. One way to reduce the incentives for conversion is to increase the value of the forest as forest to the people who live there. Various measures might achieve this, but most importantly local people must have a greater stake in the conservation of the forest in its natural state. At present, the forest is of little value to people who live there unless it is converted to agriculture. But the rights of the people to the forest and the wildlife and other natural resources therein are at best weak and at worst unrecognised. If the local people were allowed to own the forest regardless of the uses to which it is put, they would have incentives to increase the intensity of agriculture, which would reduce the amount of forest that is converted, and they would also have incentives to obtain greater value from the forest as forest, for example by selling rights to view – and in exceptional cases even hunt – tigers. At present, some of the poorest people live amidst rich natural assets, and such an arrangement is naturally unsustainable, in addition to being grossly unjust. In order to improve incentives for in situ conservation, it is imperative that those populations living in proximity with tigers:
Have clearly defined and readily enforceable property rights in the forest and wildlife therein Have access to markets for wildlife (including tigers and tiger body parts) and other forest products, unhindered by bureaucratic intervention
If these conditions are met, the local people will be able directly to benefit from their conservation efforts. They will, in effect, have a stake in the natural wilderness and wildlife resources, which will offset the risks of living in proximity with dangerous animals and create incentives to cooperate against poachers. It will also attract investors for a range of consumptive and non-consumptive environmental products. 4. Reintroducing tigers Most tiger habitats are fragmented and isolated, hosting very few animals. Genetic degeneration due to continuous inbreeding could become the most serious biological threat to the long term survival of tigers in the wild. Relocation, selective breeding and reintroduction of tigers in designated tiger habitats would be necessary to renew the genetic pool of tigers. This process will also be useful for some of the tiger reserves in India where tiger numbers seem to have fallen to perilously low levels, or even non-existent.
Given the challenge, China and India, two of the largest tiger range countries, now have an opportunity to cooperate for the cause of conservation. China has undertaken a selective breeding and reintroduction programme for the critically endangered South China Tiger China and India could cooperate and share expertise in tiger management China could also benefit from Indian expertise in tiger habitat management.
5. Economic Development and Conservation General economic development reduces pressure on natural resources as alternative economic options become more profitable. During the industrial development of countries that are today relatively wealthy, demand for agricultural land fell as labour- and capital- intensive industries rose. As a result, the pressure on forests and other natural resources declined, making the restoration of many natural habitats politically and economically possible. With rapid economic growth in recent decade, China’s environment seems poised to benefit from development dividend – consider the following: Rapid industrial growth has drawn millions of rural Chinese away from their villages Some of the villages in South China are experiencing rapid depopulation The prospect for recreating tiger habitats in some of these areas seem quite bright The lower potential for man – animal conflict enhances the chances of survival for some of the wildlife
In India, with a higher proportion of people living in close proximity to environmental resources, the need to make these resources economically valuable to the people is far greater. 6. Tigers – Better bred than dead
Captive and controlled breeding of endangered species is an important tool for promoting conservation. The United States, with no indigenous tiger species, is host to more captive tigers – around 10,000 (in zoos or as pets) – than currently are estimated to live in the wild in the rest of the world. Paradoxically, Indian zoos are advised not to breed tigers freely because they are large and costly to maintain. This exclusive focus on in situ conservation in India has undermined the role of ex situ conservation in promoting the former. Some salient facts regarding the feasibility of tiger breeding: Tigers breed easily in captivity (they are cats …); With proper stud book management, ex situ conservation would complement in situ efforts; China has developed expertise in the art of breeding and managing large tiger populations in captivity (there are currently approximately 5000 captive-bred tigers in China); The standard advice to Indian zoos has been not to breed big cats frequently because of the costs; Indian zoos have had difficulties managing even a few dozen tigers when they bred them. Carefully selected sub-species of South China Tigers are being rewilded with the aim of reintroduction in designated Chinese forests, which are being specially prepared; China and India could cooperate on breeding, rewilding and reintroduction of tigers for their mutual benefit; Legalised breeding in a competitive market environment encourages higher productivity increases and lower costs.
7. Trade restrictions make smuggling profitable There is a limit to how long and how well trade restrictions can function in the face of continued effective demand. More often than not, attempts to restrict trade merely push it underground. The artificial scarcity created by trade restrictions raises prices, providing criminals with incentives to smuggle animals and animal parts. Evidence from across the world shows that when trade is outlawed, only outlaws trade! The value of illegal trade in wildlife is estimated at over US$ 10 billion a year. The imposition of various trade restrictions, including those under CITES, has led to the emergence of an elaborate underground network of poachers, smugglers and traders. By artificially limiting the supply of legitimate tiger products, trade restrictions have made poaching and smuggling far more profitable. Since local populations have no stake in tiger conservation (quite the opposite, even), they have no incentive to cooperate with law enforcement to prevent poaching.
8. Demand for tiger products: a new opportunity for conservation Demand can be viewed either as a threat, or as an opportunity. Demand clearly exists for tigers in both consumptive uses (hunting, as well as trade in tiger pelts, bones and other body parts) and in non-consumptive uses (ecotourism). The imposition of restrictions on trade in tiger parts is predicated on the assumption that demand is a threat. However, these restrictions have had the opposite effect to that intended – they have driven up the profits from illegal poaching and trade, while reducing the viability of legal farming. If tigers and tiger habitat could be owned by people who currently share their habitat, and if those people were able to engage in commerce in relation to tigers (offering ecotourism services, selling tigers and tiger parts, etc.), existing demand could then be met more effectively – turning the threat into an opportunity for sustainable use. Various species – including domestic farm animals such as cattle and pigs, as well as more exotic species, such as reindeer in Scandinavia, blackbucks and bison in the US, vicuna in Argentina, crocodiles in Australia, and many others – have escaped the prospect of extinction through sustainable use. Safari parks in Southern Africa illustrate the financial attraction of tourism and hunting. In the US, nature tourism (fishing and hunting included) generates over US$ 100 billion in economic activities annually. Tigers, alive as well as dead, are sought after and could therefore offer similar opportunities: Tiger bones are important in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). Tiger skin is cherished by various Asian cultures, from India to Tibet. Tiger skin, teeth and claws could also find uses in the fashion industry. Forests hosting wild tiger offer enormous tourism potential. Tiger habitats provide unique opportunity for wildlife research and awareness. With a stable tiger population, controlled hunting could significantly add to the revenue stream. Rather than being a burden on the public exchequer, tigers could become a financially solvent animal, earning its keep in the marketplace.
9. Control and Monitoring mechanism
For commerce to be successful, a rule-based, transparent and competitive market environment is critical. In view of the range of tiger products, it is necessary to have a control and monitoring mechanism in place to prevent illegal trade: Local populations, when they have a stake in wildlife resources, are the most effective deterrent to poaching. Grassroots intelligence is critical to crackdown on smuggling. Effective legal competition is the best antidote to smuggling. Legitimate investors have an interest in cooperating with law enforcement to stop illegal trade. Certification scheme(s) could be developed to authorise and validate the legitimate tiger products. Owners, traders and certifiers would have strong incentives to enhance awareness of counterfeit products in the illegal trade (about 75% of alleged tiger products seized in China are found to be spurious by forensic experts). Certification and rating scheme(s) for tiger habitat management could be developed that would further enhance the viability of sustainable use. Greater efficiency in law enforcement, complemented by local incentives and interests would also enhance the prospects of successful sustainable use.
10. Conclusion: Commerce for Conservation Commerce and conservation do complement each other quite effectively when the appropriate institutional environment exists. Rather than posing a threat, the demand for consumptive uses of tigers could aid its conservation in the wild. The ex situ breeding of tigers could meet the demand for tiger products, as well as help renew the gene pool of the tigers in situ. It would be a tragedy if the world were to lose an iconic species from the wild because of our failure to appreciate the complementarities between in situ and ex situ conservation programmes. There is no reason for a species as charismatic and rich in cultural symbolism as the tiger to die out like a pauper. It is still possible to turn the threats to tiger conservation into opportunities. By harnessing the power of commerce, the tiger can easily walk away from the spectre of extinction. Appendix: Sustainable Development Network members Ag Bio World Foundation USA www.agbioworld.org Africa Fighting Malaria South Africa www.fightingmalaria.org Alternate Solutions Institute Pakistan www.asinstitute.org ARCH-Vahini Gujarat, India Asociación de Consumidores Libres Costa Rica www.consumidoreslibres.org Association for Liberal Thinking Turkey www.liberal-dt.org.tr CEDICE Venezuela www.cedice.org Centre for Civil Society India www.ccsindia.org Centre for Environmental Studies Liberalni Institute Prague, Czech Republic www.libinst.cz Centre for New Europe, Belgium www.cne-network.org CEPPRO, Paraguay China Sustainable Development Research Centre Capital University of Business and Economics Circulo Liberal Uruguay www.circuloliberal.org Community Resources Institute Kenya Fundacion Atlas 1853 Argentina www.atlas.org.ar Fundacion Libertad Panama www.fundacionlibertad.org.pa Free Market Foundation South Africa www.freemarketfoundation.com Instituto Ecuatoriano de Economía Política Ecuador www.ieep.org.ec International Policy Network, UK www.policynetwork.net Imani – the Centre for Humane Education Ghana www.imanighana.org INLAP Costa Rica www.inlap.org Instituto de Libre Empresa Peru www.ileperu.org Instituto Liberdade Brazil www.il-rs.com.br Instituto Libertad y Progreso Colombia www.ilyp.net Institute of Public Affairs Australia www.ipa.org.au Inter-Region Economic Network Kenya www.irenkenya.org Institute for Public Policy Analysis Nigeria www.ippanigeria.org Libertad y Desarrollo Chile www.lyd.cl Liberty Institute India www.libertyindia.org www.InDefenceofLiberty.org Lion Rock Institute Hong Kong www.lionrockinstitute.org Manushi India www.manushi-india.org Research Center for Entrepreneurship Development, Vietnam www.rced.com.vn RSE - Centre for Social and Economic Research Iceland http://www.rse.is/ Zambia Institute for Public Policy Analysis www.zippazambia.org | | | | This article was published in the Sustainable Development Network on Sunday, June 03, 2007. | | Author : Save the Tiger Initiative is undertaken by the Sustainable Development Network |
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