Environmental philanthropists from India, China, the UAE and the US have agreed to provide USD 80 million to fund the conservation of tigers and other wild cats whose survival is under threat.
The announcement about this unique global alliance was made at a private ceremony yesterday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The conservation of the wild cats will be done in association with Panthera, a New York-based organisation dedicated to ensuring the future of wild cats through scientific leadership and conservation action.
The guaranteed, 10-year commitment to cat conservation, undertaking unprecedented in its scale and scope, will fund the most effective solutions for conserving big cats so as to reduce poaching for local and international trade, retaliatory killing of large cats due to human-animal conflict, unsustainable hunting of prey, and the loss and fragmentation of habitat.
"The Wildlife Conservation Trust is delighted to join Panthera's Global Alliance, an unparallelled example of environmental collaboration," said Hemendra Kothari, Founder and Chairman of Wildlife Conservation Trust and Chairman of DSP Blackrock India.
"Having led by example in tiger conservation in India, it is heartening for the Wildlife Conservation Trust to be part of a truly unique international coalition that shares both our passion and commitment to the big cats - along with the determination to save them," Kothari said.
"The Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai, works closely with the forest staff of 90 national parks and sanctuaries spread across 17 states of India to conserve several endangered species in addition to safeguarding India's threatened wildernesses", said Dr Anish Andheria, President and Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Trust.
"By joining Panthera's Global Alliance to conserve wild cats, WCT is attempting to attract the attention of committed international agencies to the plight and conservation needs of Indian wild cats and their habitats," he added.
"We are thrilled to welcome these impressive individuals to our team. With this new and broad support, Panthera's vision of regional and institutional partnerships has only just begun," said Panthera CEO, Dr Alan Rabinowitz.
The multi-year pledges catalyze the plan to help conserve wild cats, with a core focus on tigers, lions, snow leopards, leopards, clouded leopards, jaguars, cougars and cheetahs.
As a result of this commitment India will be benefited by the protection and stabilising of tiger and Asiatic lion populations.
It will also create a community-based conservation projects for safeguarding large cats, reducing killing and poaching of all large cats and protecting corridors that connect large cat populations.
