Tigers Forever

Tigers Forever
Name	Tigers Forever
Type	Non-profit conservation initiative
Founded	2015
Area served	Asia
Focus	Tiger conservation, habitat protection, anti-poaching
Headquarters	Varied field offices

Tigers Forever Tigers Forever is an international conservation initiative dedicated to the preservation and recovery of wild tiger populations across Asia. It brings together scientific research, field protection, community engagement, and policy advocacy to address population decline and habitat loss for the tiger. The initiative operates in landscapes spanning from the Russian Far East to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, partnering with governments, science institutions, and non-governmental organizations.

Overview

Tigers Forever coordinates landscape-scale protection models that combine anti-poaching patrols, habitat management, population monitoring, and law enforcement support in priority areas such as the Sundarbans, Terai Arc Landscape, Siberian taiga, Taman Peninsula, and Central India. It engages stakeholders including the World Wildlife Fund, United Nations Environment Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, TRAFFIC, and national wildlife agencies like India’s Wildlife Institute of India and Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. By integrating methods from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society, Tigers Forever seeks measurable increases in tiger numbers and reduced illegal trade in tiger parts.

History and Origins

The initiative emerged from collaborations between conservationists, academic researchers, and policy actors in the 2010s following international commitments such as the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit (2010) and the Global Tiger Recovery Program. Influential figures and organizations, including trustees from the World Bank conservation portfolios, senior scientists from the University of Oxford and the National Geographic Society, and field leaders associated with the Delhi Zoological Park and Zoological Survey of India, contributed to its founding strategic documents. Early pilot projects drew on lessons from long-term programs in Bandhavgarh National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, aligning with priorities set by accords like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Conservation and Protection Efforts

Tigers Forever implements proven protection measures including intensive ranger patrols modeled after protocols from the Nepal Army-supported anti-poaching units, use of camera-trap monitoring pioneered by teams at the All India Tiger Monitoring Program and analytical approaches from the Zoological Society of London. The initiative supports habitat restoration in corridors connecting protected areas such as the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas and promotes community-based conservation exemplified by programs in Assam, Chitwan National Park, and Kerala. It partners with law-enforcement bodies like the Interpol Wildlife Crime Working Group and national customs agencies to combat illicit trade linked to markets historically studied by TRAFFIC and investigative journalism from outlets such as The Guardian.

Biology and Behavior

The program builds on scientific knowledge from field studies of tiger ecology in regions including Ranthambore National Park, Corbett National Park, and the Amur River basin. Research partners from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Centre for Wildlife Studies (India), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences contribute data on home-range dynamics, prey-base composition (for species such as Sambar deer, Chital, Wild boar, and Roe deer), and reproductive biology. Tigers Forever promotes non-invasive genetic sampling methods used in studies by the Pennsylvania State University and demographic analyses informed by statistical models developed at the University of Cambridge and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

Threats and Challenges

Tigers Forever confronts threats identified in reports by entities like the IUCN Red List, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Bank: habitat fragmentation from infrastructure projects such as those affecting the Eastern Economic Corridor, prey depletion from overhunting in regions proximate to protected areas, and illegal wildlife trade networks connecting to consumer markets in countries covered by research from the Wildlife Justice Commission. Climate change impacts studied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and land-use shifts documented by researchers at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development also pose long-term risks, particularly in low-lying landscapes like the Sundarbans.

Cultural Significance

Tigers Forever recognizes the tiger’s role as a cultural icon across countries tied to the species, including India, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, and Indonesia. The project engages with heritage institutions such as the National Museum, New Delhi, the State Hermitage Museum, and cultural programs from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to highlight traditional narratives, folklore, and artistic representations. It collaborates with media partners like the BBC Natural History Unit and the National Geographic Society to raise public awareness through documentaries, photography exhibitions, and storytelling that reference historical figures and works associated with tiger imagery.

Organizations and Campaigns

Tigers Forever partners with a network of conservation organizations and campaigns including the World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, TRAFFIC, Panthera, Global Tiger Forum, and regional agencies such as India’s Project Tiger and Nepal’s Chitwan National Park administration. It seeks funding and technical support from foundations and institutions like the Bethesda-based Smithsonia[n] Institution affiliates, the Rockefeller Foundation, and multilateral programs administered by the United Nations Development Programme. Collaborative campaigns align with international agreements and conservation targets set by forums such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and are implemented through joint programmes with academic partners including the University of Cambridge and the National University of Singapore.

Category:Wildlife conservation organizations