WWF Tx2 programme: Nepal becomes first country to double its tiger population

Nepal become first country in the world to double its tiger population in a decade as part of  World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) ‘Tx2’ programme which aims to double number of tigers in the world all over the world by 2022. There are now estimated 235 wild tigers in Nepal in comparison to an estimated 121 back in 2009. This trend is against global tend where number of tigers in many countries is witnessing a decline.

Key Facts

The success of Nepal in doubling tiger numbers has been largely attributed to its political commitment and adoption of innovative tools and approaches towards tiger conservation. Nepal was the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation areas, an accreditation scheme governed by Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS).

Tx2 programme

It was launched by World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger Summit held in Russia. Under it, 13 tiger range countries had agreed to double the world tiger population by 2022, which is the year of tiger in Chinese calendar. These 13 countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
It aims at driving political momentum to ensure tigers remain top priority for world leaders, professionalise wildlife protection by training rangers, developing conservation standards (CA|TS) and technology (SMART) to achieve zero poaching, tackle illegal wildlife trade through partnership with TRAFFIC, focus efforts in key tiger landscapes and ensure there is space for both tigers and people in future.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2018