MALAYSIA REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO CONSERVE TIGER POPULATION

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment in
protecting and conserving the population of tigers in the recently concluded
Tiger Summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, in a statement here Friday, said
that during the summit, its minister, Douglas Uggah Embas had pointed
out the need for bold and affirmative actions to enable the doubling of wild
tiger population by 2022 at the global level in a move to prevent the extinction
of the endangered species.

"It is important for leaders to take bold and affirmative decisions and
actions through the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) to save the wild
tiger and to double their numbers by 2022," the statement said.

Malaysia adopted the National Tiger Conservation Plan (NTCAP) last year
with a primary objective to have 1,000 wild tigers by 2020 and outlined 80
action plans to achieve the objective.

"Malaysia has also taken various complementary actions to support the growth
of the wild tiger population. Since last year a moratorium has been imposed on
the hunting of certain tiger prey species throughout Malaysia," it said.

Under the 10th Malaysian Plan, the government had approved a specific
research project on monitoring of tigers in a move to monitor the implementation
of the NTCAP and to look at the progress of real tiger numbers in the wild.

"Thus, with a new specific data, the project will assist to ensure the
objective of the NTCAP to have up to 1,000 wild tigers by 2020 is achieved," it
said.

In order to implement the NTCAP, substantial resources in terms of funds,
human capital and technology is crucially needed.

"Realising the huge cost in conserving tigers and their habitats, Malaysia
fully supports the proposed Wildlife Premium Market+REDD mechanism where
developed countries can play a more committed and effective role in conserving
the world's tigers.

"All these efforts should be reinforced and supported by a strong
international cooperation to combat transboundary illegal wildlife trade," it
said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund and other experts, there are only 3,200
tigers left in the wild now, compared to an estimated 100,000 a century ago.

-- BERNAMA