Author: GTFAdmin

Source: Star online, Monday, 29 Jul 2019, Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA: Two battalions of the police general operations force (GOF) have been directed to assist the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) in tackling poachers, especially those hunting the endangered Malayan tigers, says Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador.

The Inspector-General of Police said one of the battalions, comprising 500 members, would be deployed together with Perhilitan personnel to patrol the forest. Another battalion, he added, would be put on standby.

Both battalions are from Perak Senoi Praaq, the police unit made up mostly of Orang Asli.

Speaking to reporters after the launch of the World Tiger Day 2019 celebration here yesterday, Abdul Hamid said the police were committed to helping the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry in tackling the scourge of poaching.

“I am assigning the task to the Senoi Praaq battalions because of their tracking skills and their familiarity with the forest surroundings,” he added.

He said the police, apart from drawing up a standard operating procedure in facing threats from poachers, would train Perhilitan personnel in the use of firearms.

This collaboration followed talks held recently to form a joint action force comprising the police and the Perhilitan to curb poaching and the sale of protected wildlife.

Meanwhile, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali named three tiger cubs born at Zoo Negara in conjunction with the celebration at the zoo.

The Prime Minister’s wife, who is also the patron of Save Our Malayan Tiger Campaign, named the two male cubs Wira and Hebat, and the female cub Melur.

Also present at the ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as well as Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

Dr Siti Hasmah also called for the people to work together to protect the Malayan tiger to ensure its population, which now stands at 200, would increase to 500 in future.

According to official data, there were more than 3,000 Malayan tigers in the country in the 1950s.

Dr Siti Hasmah said the Malayan tigers needed to be protected from extinction as the animal was featured in the nation’s coat of arms to symbolise strength.

During the ceremony, she also received contributions amounting to RM1.33mil from private companies, NGOs, universities and schools including the Al-Bukhary Foundation and staff of ministries towards the Malayan tiger conservation efforts.

World Tiger Day is celebrated every July 29 to inculcate public awareness of the importance of protecting, preserving and conserving this endangered species.

At the event, the guests were also treated to a video of two groups of Malayan tigers — a pair of mother and cub as well as a female tiger with her three cubs — roaming in their natural habitat, which was believed to be a national park in Peninsular Malaysia.

The exact location of the national park had to be kept secret to protect the animals from poachers. — Bernama.

Article Source: GTF Newsletter 2019

The Amur Tiger Center has become the official representative of Russia in the GTF on 11 July 2019. The decision was made by the standing committee of the GTF.

The “Amur Tiger Center” is an autonomous non-commercial organization established for preservation and researching the Amur tiger population. It was founded in July 2013 by the Russian Geographic Society at the initiative of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

Aim of the Amur Tiger Center:

• Researching the Amur tiger
• Preserving and increasing the population
• Establishing, harmonized relationship

“Russia is an important tiger range country and has a long-standing successful track record of wild tiger conservation. The Amur Tiger Center of Russia has evolved as a center of excellence, providing valuable insights for the Amur tiger in-situ conservation. The Global Tiger Forum is delighted to welcome the Amur Tiger Center as its member and look forward to a great collaboration with Russia for strengthening the tiger cause through exchange of good field practices, knowledge sharing for active management to strengthen tiger prey base and related research”

– Dr. Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General, GTF

Read main article: http://amur-tiger.ru/en/press_center/news/1310/

Applications are invited for position of SRF at Global Tiger Forum for a DBT funded project – “Profiling of an alien invasive species in tiger landscapes of India”

Vacancy details:

Senior Research Fellow
No. of Post:  01
Essential Qualification:
1. M. Sc. in Life Sciences/ Wildlife Sciences/ Forestry/ Remote Sensing from a recognized
university.
2. Two years of experience in wildlife survey, knowledge of GIS, data analysis, report
writing
Desirable Qualification: Two years of experience in occupancy, population estimation, habitat
quantification using different approaches
Age Limit:  Not exceeding 40 years as on the date of interview. Upper age limit in case of
applicants belonging to SC/ ST/ OBC
Emoluments: Rs. 35,000 + HRA
Duration: One year, subjected to extension based on satisfactory performance.
How to Apply: Eligible candidates may send their CV (including the position applied for) &
scanned transcripts of educational qualifications to Global Tiger
Forum research@globaltigerforum.org on or before 20 July 2019.
Selection Process: Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview.

Under ongoing USAID-WCT project, a workshop on landscape management for officials from Malaysia was held at the Kanha Tiger Reserve from 18 – 20 June 2019. The said workshop was attended by Government officials from Malaysian Forest Department, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (MPFD) and representatives from GTF and WWF-India. Field and technical sessions were coordinated by the representatives of the Global Tiger Forum and staff of the Kanha Tiger Reserve. The agenda for the said workshop was based on GTF Mission’s field visit to a priority tiger site (Royal Belum State Park), meeting with Dr. Xavier Jayakumar, Hon’ble Minister of Water, Land & Natural Resources, Malaysia, and consultation with the Department of Wildlife & National Parks (DWNP), Government of Malaysia.

With a focus on tiger conservation priorities in Malaysia, key elements of this workshop included: Joint actions on

• implementing action plan in Malaysia
• community participation
• conservation & protection
• strategies on involving NGOs and communities among others

apart from tiger and prey recovery, protected area management, frontline and community welfare.

Field sessions were focussed on BOMA technique for prey translocation, prey augmentation protocols, design and maintenance of tiger rewilding enclosures, development and maintenance of patrolling and park management infrastructure, M-STrIPES monitoring, ecotourism, and community engagement portfolio.

Under ongoing GTF and Uttar Pradesh forest department project to address human wildlife interface issues, a “Capacity building workshop on addressing human wildlife interface issues” in Uttar Pradesh Terai Arc Landscape was conducted at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve from 12 to 14 June 2019. The said workshop was attended by officials from GTF, WII, Dudhwa & Pilibhit tiger reserves, Katarniaghat WLS, North Kheri forest division along with frontline staff of the said sites. The workshop was also attended by representatives of WTI and WWF-India along with community stewards.

The three day workshop was focused on:

• Managing Human Wildlife Interface Issues
• Efforts on reducing Human Wildlife Conflict in the Terai landscape
• How and when to use Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Community Stewardship – “Bagh Mitra”
• Demonstration of Rescue/Darting/Release
• Demonstration of wireless system function
• Demonstration of camera trap
• Demonstration of sniffer dog exercise to curb poaching
• On ground situational field exercises in case of: 1. Human death 2. Live stock death and 3. Entry of tiger in human dominated area

The Workshop concluded with reiteration by GTF, U.P forest department & other partner agencies of developing a joint mechanism for mitigation of human-wildlife interface and development of early warning systems in Terai Arc Landscape

Under the ongoing USAID-WCT-GTF engagement for strengthening conservation efforts in Tiger Range Countries, a consultation meeting was organized by GTF on addressing illegal wildlife trade and trafficking between India and Bangladesh at Hotel the Royal Plaza, New Delhi, India on 27 and 28 May 2019. The meeting was attended by Government officials from Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), West Bengal Forest department and representatives from GTF, U.S. Embassy, WWF-India and TRAFFIC-India.

The consultation focused on wildlife crime in the transboundary region, challenges for conservation and protection, strategies to counter Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), case studies on best practice models to combat poaching and trafficking, sharing of information on illegal wildlife trade routes and wildlife networks.

Both the countries agreed on an action agenda, vis-à-vis existing MoU, especially joint actions between the two countries in the Sunderbans landscape.

Global Tiger Forum (GTF) in collaboration with USAID-WCT is implementing a regional capacity building program for Tiger Range Countries. Recently, a workshop on Landscape Management was organised for officials from Thailand government (April 9- April 11, 2019) at Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. The agenda for the said workshop was based on GTF Mission’s field visit to a priority tiger site (Huai Kha Khaeng) in Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM) and consultation with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Government of Thailand. Given adequate protection, and implementation of prey/tiger recovery measures, WEFCOM has a great potential for reviving and sustaining tiger and prey populations in the region.

With a focus on tiger conservation priorities in Thailand, key elements of this workshop included: protection, tiger and prey recovery, protected area management, inclusive community engagement beyond the core critical tiger habitat, apart from frontline and community welfare.

Field sessions were focussed on BOMA technique for prey translocation, prey augmentation protocols, design and maintenance of tiger rewilding enclosures, development and maintenance of patrolling and park management infrastructure, M-STrIPES monitoring, ecotourism, and community engagement portfolio.

List of participants from Thailand

1. Kanjana Nitaya, Director, Wildlife Conservation Bureau, National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department
2. Soontorn Chaiwatana, Director, Wildlife Breeding Division, Wildlife Conservation Bureau, National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department
3. Tarasak Nipanan, Head, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Breeding Station
4. Luxsana Prasittichai  , Veterinarian, National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department
5. Somying Thunhikorn  , Technical Officer, Wildlife Research Division, Wildlife Conservation Bureau, National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department
6. Paitoon Intarabut, Head, Saluk Phra Wildlife Sanctuary

Under the ongoing USAID-WCT collaboration, the GTF technical team/mission visited Malaysia for a consultation on national tiger action plan and key priorities, followed by a field visit to a priority tiger site, Royal Belum State Park.

A meeting chaired by the Hon’ble Minister, of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Malaysia, was attended by the GTF technical team along with Secretary General, KATS, Director General, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia and other senior officials of the wildlife department wherein in depth discussion with regard to the tiger recovery in Malaysia was held and a presentation was given by the Secretary General, GTF. A brief on the GTF architecture and mandate was presented and suggestion for a Malaysia Tiger Task Force, for reinvigorating the system of governance relating to tiger and other wildlife under the Prime Minister with all state Chief Ministers, collaborators, army, police and GTF, as members was provided.

The team also attended an event which was a part of World Wildlife Day Celebrations of the Malayan Tiger Campaign 2019-20, which was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Government of Malaysia. In his speech, the Hon’ble Minister acknowledged the role of GTF in handholding Tiger range Countries.  This event marked the presence of Ambassadors and High Commissioners from several countries, along with representatives of collaborators, NGOs, media, academia, children and other stakeholders.

GTF is committed to facilitate synergies between the Malaysian Government, collaborators and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India, for a partnership towards long term conservation efforts.

Applications are invited for positions of SRF, JRF and Field Coordinator at Global Tiger Forum for a DBT funded project – “Profiling of an alien invasive species in tiger landscapes of India”

Vacancy Details:                                                                                                                                                                     

Junior Research Fellow

No. of Post:  01

Qualification: Post Graduate in Wildlife Science/ Botany/ Zoology/ Forestry/ Life Science/ Agriculture/Environmental Sciences/Statistics or equivalent. Candidates having prior experience in edaphic sampling with good paper writing skills will be preferred.

Age Limit: Not exceeding 28 years as on the date of interview. Upper age limit in case of applicants belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH/Women Candidates may be relaxed as per the rules.

Emoluments: Rs. 31,000 p.m. plus 24% HRA

Duration: One year, subjected to extension based on satisfactory performance.

Senior Research Fellow

No. of Post:  02

Qualification: Post Graduate in Wildlife Science/ Botany/ Zoology/ Forestry/ Life Science/ Agriculture/Environmental Sciences/Statistics or equivalent. Minimum 2-3 years post masters experience. Candidates with experience of working in Tiger reserves or in other PAs will be preferred.

Age Limit:  Not exceeding 32 (SRF) years as on the date of interview. Upper age limit in case of applicants belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH/Women Candidates may be relaxed as per the rules.

Emoluments: Rs. 35,000 p.m. plus 24% HRA

Duration: One year, subjected to extension based on satisfactory performance.

Field Coordinator

No. of Post:  01

Qualification: Post Graduate in Life Science/Environmental Science/Biodiversity Conservation/Wildlife from a recognized University with 2-3 years of experience in field based conservation projects, data collection etc.

Age Limit:  Not exceeding 33 years as on the date of interview. Upper age limit in case of applicants belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH/Women Candidates may be relaxed as per the rules.

Emoluments: Rs. 33,000 p.m. plus 24% HRA

Duration: One year, subjected to extension based on satisfactory performance.

How to Apply: Eligible candidates may send their CV (including the position applied for) & scanned transcripts of educational qualifications to Global Tiger Forum research@globaltigerforum.org on or before 09 April 2019.

 

Selection Process: Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview.

The Global Tiger Forum organised the 3^rd Stocktaking Conference on 28 – 29 January, in collaboration with Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), National Tiger Conservation Authority (Government of India), Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), and WWF. This is the latest collective step in the process that began at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger Summit – where 13 tiger-range governments committed to Tx2 – an ambitious goal to double the global wild tiger population by 2022.

The report for the same is provided below:

https://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Report_3rd-Stocktaking-Conference-1.pdf