| THE STATE OF THE TIGER | |
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National Update - Prime Ministers' Promises
There have been many statements of support for tigers and the forests in which they live from politicians and Prime Ministers over the last two years. However, continuing political instability in India has meant that since the launch of EIA's report "The Political Wilderness" in October 1996, there have been three Prime Ministers from three different political groupings. This lack of continuity has severely affected the fate of the tiger. It is hoped that the current administration has the political will to follow through on the promises made by the two former Prime Ministers. In 1997, for the first time this decade, the crisis facing tigers and other wildlife in India was finally acknowledged at the highest political level. Two consecutive Prime Ministers reconvened the Indian Board for Wildlife, which had failed to meet for nine years. Former Prime Minister IK Gujral made several promises to prioritise the conservation of tigers and other wildlife. "...I hope that we will shortly convene a meeting to initiate some measures in order to ensure the safety of the tiger and the natural heritage of our nation, which are on the highest national agenda of my government." - former Prime Minister IK Gujral, 26th August 1997 In October 1997, Gujral met with Indian school children and a young girl from the UK who had collected one signature for each remaining wild tiger in a petition calling upon the Prime Minister to take immediate action to save the tiger. On the same day he addressed the nation, promising support to Project Tiger. "...we are bound by the national commitment to protect wildlife and, in particular, the tiger. The project will never suffer from [a] lack of funds because once this species is destroyed it can never come back. Unfortunately, poaching continues, but action must be taken firmly". - former Prime Minister IK Gujral, 3rd October 1997 For all those engaged in the battle to save tigers, this public commitment to wildlife was very encouraging, but, it was never translated into action in the field. Flying in the face of such promises were Central government moves to devolve decisions over clearance of power projects to State governments and moves to dilute the Forest Conservation Act in favour of World Bank Forestry Projects in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to increase timber trade, the use of exotics, monocultures and pesticides. |
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