The Bhutanese Leading the way.
It is a matter of great pride and vindication for Bhutan’s conservation efforts that a recent survey by park officials from Bhutan and India found the world’s highest concentration of wild Tigers in the Royal Manas National Park .
The finding was also officially submitted by the government to UNESCO this year as part of its efforts to get a World Heritage Site status for the Park.
This comes on the back of the discovery of Royal Bengal Tigers at the highest ever recorded elevations of 4,300 meters by Bhutanese forest officials a few years ago.
Globally, Tigers are an endangered species with an estimated Global population of 3,062 to 3,948. Bhutan is estimated to have around 200 tigers.
The presence of a large number of Tigers in Bhutan show that despite limited resources and manpower the Forest and Park officials under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests are doing a good job. These dedicated few have to be away on frequent patrolling for long periods in the toughest conditions from the freezing cold of the highlands to the sweltering heat of the plains, risking life and limb.
Some critics of GNH point to the heavy intellectual and technical bias of the philosophy, but by contrast everybody will appreciate that the high number of Tigers in Bhutan is in part due to the GNH system of governance, where the environment is also given a high priority.
If the government can market our wildlife resources at a wider level with the Tiger as a key symbol animal then everything from GNH to our tourism industry will gain global mass appeal. Imagine the immediate impact when everywhere else Tiger numbers are declining but it is only in Bhutan that they are doing well and in fact thriving due to our conscious conservation efforts.
Otherwise too Tigers have a very real and positive impact on our environment and bio diversity. Forests with Tiger populations are healthier and better protected generating resources that humans need like fresh water, forest products, fresh air etc. Tigers in Bhutan are also a sign that we have a healthy eco system and a rich bio-diversity. Tigers and other predators also do farmers a service as they control the large number of animal pests like wild boars, monkeys etc. For example the near eradication of wild dog populations in some parts of Bhutan lead to a dramatic spurt in the number of wild boars who are doing much more damage to farmers livelihood.
However, Bhutan cannot do it alone as our forests and parks share international boundaries and we have limited resources. The threat of international poaching coming into Bhutan once Tigers in other regions are driven to extinction cannot be ruled out. If the global community is serious about saving Tigers then countries like Bhutan must get more funding and technical support.
There is also growing pressures on our forest cover due to pressing economic needs like urbanization, food self sufficiency, farm roads and rural infrastructure and also mega projects. In Bhutan a government with limited resources will have a tough time juggling the economic wants of the people with conservation. The hotly debated Shingkar-Gorgan road is an example.
A solution in the long run could be ensuring that local communities while having to bear the costs of conservation should also be given its benefits with more funding, tourism projects, variety of income sources etc. Bhutan will also have to mobilize international awareness and funding on protecting Bhutan’s Tigers using established international platforms like GNH.
