Setting and Implementing Standards for Management of Wild Tigers

M. K. S. Pasha, Nigel Dudley, Sue Stolton, Michael Baltzer, Barney Long, Sugoto Roy, Michael Belecky, Rajesh Gopal and S. P. Yadav
Additional contact information
M. K. S. Pasha: WWF Singapore, 354 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Block, Tanglin International Centre, Singapore 247672, Singapore
Nigel Dudley: Equilibrium Research, 47 The Quays, Spike Island, Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UQ, UK
Sue Stolton: Equilibrium Research, 47 The Quays, Spike Island, Cumberland Road, Bristol BS1 6UQ, UK
Michael Baltzer: WWF Singapore, 354 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Block, Tanglin International Centre, Singapore 247672, Singapore
Barney Long: Global Wildlife Conservation, 500 N Capital of Texas Hwy Building 1, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78746, USA
Sugoto Roy: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Global Species Programme, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
Michael Belecky: WWF Singapore, 354 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Block, Tanglin International Centre, Singapore 247672, Singapore
Rajesh Gopal: Global Tiger Forum, 200, Jor Bagh Road, Third Floor (Near Jor Bagh Metro Station), New Delhi 110003, India
S. P. Yadav: Global Tiger Forum, 200, Jor Bagh Road, Third Floor (Near Jor Bagh Metro Station), New Delhi 110003, India

Land, 2018, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Tiger numbers have collapsed so dramatically that conservationists are adopting a strategy of securing populations in priority conservation landscapes. This includes improving management effectiveness in these sites. The Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS) are designed to help ensure effectiveness and provide a benchmark against which to measure progress. CA|TS is a distillation of best practice and a roadmap to management effectiveness, linking management to expert-driven standards covering all aspects of management, including those which are tiger-specific (monitoring, maintenance of prey, control of poaching). Sites are audited against a set of standards and if met, are accredited as CA|TS Approved. We describe CA|TS in the context of tiger conservation, describe the evolution and philosophy of the system and consider its application across the tiger range, before drawing on lessons learned from 5 years of development. Important benefits include the independence of CA|TS from existing governmental or NGO institutions, the emphasis on regional governance and the existence of active support groups. Conversely, the participatory approach has slowed implementation. CA|TS remains more attractive to well managed sites than to sites that are struggling, although building capacity in the latter is its key aim. The close connections between people working on tiger conservation make some aspects of independent assessment challenging. Finally, if CA|TS is to succeed in its long term aims, it needs to go hand in hand with secure and adequate funding to increase management capacity in many tiger conservation areas.

Keywords: Tiger; conservation standards; protected area management; management effectiveness; accreditation; conservation assured (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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