The world’s wild tiger numbers have declined from more than 100,000 a century ago to around 4,000 today. The decline is driven by a loss of prey and habitat due to uncontrolled development and poaching for the black-market trade in tiger skins and bones. In Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krays of Russia, there are now between 429 – 502 Amur tigers, a major increase from about 100 tigers in 1965, but still only half of what they were in 1850. Even now, about 25 – 30 tigers are killed every year in Russia.

A worldwide alliance of tiger conservationists, scientists and celebrities, including Harrison Ford, Bo Derek, Robert Duvall, as well as Russian wildlife biologist and TV host Nikolay Drozdov and Ilya Lagutenko, lead singer of the Russian rock band Mumiy Troll, have joined forces with the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to help save wild tigers.

"Nothing short of global action will bring back wild tigers," said Grace Ge Gabriel, spokesperson for the International Tiger Coalition (ITC). "The ITC applauds the World Bank for focusing the eyes of the world on wild tigers and their needs."

The health of the tiger population is an indicator of biodiversity and a barometer of sustainability. Since tigers are at the top of the food chain, the conservation of wild tigers also means the preservation of the habitats in which they live and the prey populations that support them.

The new Tiger Conservation Initiative, launched this week at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C., brought together many of the global experts who have been studying the decline of tiger populations and the many national and international NGOs which have been fighting to save tigers.

World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, who was on hand at the National Zoo event and who will be traveling to Moscow next week, explained that "just as with many of the other challenges of sustainability—such as climate change, pandemic disease, or poverty—the crisis facing tigers overwhelms local capabilities and transcends national boundaries. This is a problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone. It requires an alliance of strong local commitment backed by deep international support."

Harrison Ford, board member of Conservation International, who is putting his celebrity status behind the tiger initiative said, "By committing to help wild tigers, the World Bank is sounding its intention to be a global leader in biodiversity conservation. I commend this commitment and look forward to seeing it in action."

In general, tigers can recover well if their habitats are protected and poaching pressure reduced.

"Amur tigers in the Russian Far East represent a recent success story as their population is now considered stable, and even increasing thanks to a dedicated joint effort of government agencies and environmental activists. Nevertheless, further efforts are needed to ensure sustainability of this recovery," said Nikolay Drozdov, wildlife biologist and TV host.

"Strengthening of protected area networks and anti-poaching capacity are certainly needed. But changing the mindsets of entire communities through ecological education of local children has become a crucial element of our strategy. And so much more can be done when we engage in close partnerships with forward-looking private companies," explained Igor Chestin, Director, WWF-Russia.

"The sheer beauty and boldness of these animals cannot but charge you with deep emotional energy and inspiration… force you to be a better person," said Ilya Lagutenko, lead singer of the rock band Mumiy Troll, who supports conservation of Amur tigers and leopards and whose recent album, AMBA, is dedicated to these animals. "‘Amba’ means ‘tiger’ in the language of the indigenous Udege people who live side by side with these creatures, but the same word also sounds in Russian like an awakening call."

Since 1997, the World Bank has supported four projects in the globally important habitats of the Russian Far East, including forest fire management, strengthening of the existing federal protected areas, development of new regional protected area networks, tiger monitoring, and promotion of voluntary certification of Tiger Friendly Products.

The Tiger Conservation Initiative will start with a series of dialogues in tiger range countries to find out what has worked locally to protect the tigers. The World Bank and its partners will assess the financing needs of tiger conservation and work with governments and the private sector to find innovative funding sources and mobilize new resources for the species’ protection.

To save the tiger, the World Bank proposes a Five-Point Plan of Action that stresses community engagement over earlier and failed punitive action:

• Initiate a review of projects in tiger habitats to learn lessons from the past that can inform future engagement.
• Facilitate country workshops and other platforms for partnership with NGOs, governments, and the scientific community at the national level to develop appropriate models of conservation.
• Devise strategies and action plans in partnership with other organizations to address the illegal trade and other conservation needs.
• Explore and develop alternative and new funding mechanisms for tiger conservation.
• Offer to host a 2010 "Year of the Tiger" Summit. This would be an opportunity for all those involved in tiger conservation to review the status of tigers and their habitat.

For more information on the Bank and its partners work regarding tigers, please visit http://www.worldbank.org/tigers.