Experts gather in Nepal to find HTC solutions

In November, WWF brought together Human Tiger Conflict (HTC) experts in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, to develop the first ever coordinated, strategic and long-term management programme for HTC, to be implemented across all tiger range countries.

One of the outcomes from the workshop  was the formation of the ‘Chitwan Understanding for Human Tiger Conflict’ which included the creation of the Human Tiger Conflict Working Group (HTC WG), a team of 9 people to be chaired by Ghana S. Gurung, WWF Nepal.

The HTC WG will develop the integrated HTC management programme and strategy as well as raise funds to implement it on the ground over the next 18 months. 

Chitwan National Park from WWF Tigers on Vimeo.

"The models discussed will help an informed decision making process" - Ratul Saha, WWF India - Sundarbans Landscape

During the workshop participants took a tour around Chitwan National Park including a boat ride down Chitwan’s river border and an elephant patrol through a community managed buffer zone. They saw many fresh pug marks and a few were lucky enough to glimpse a wild tiger.

"I can take ideas discussed here and implement them in the organisation where I work" - Jigme Dorgi, Royal Government of Bhutan - Royal Manas National Park

"It was great meeting people from different landscapes who have different ideas and perceptions regarding human-tiger conflict" - Jimmy Borah, WWF India - Kaziranga-Anglong Landscape

Best practises were shared during the four days including the successful “blood-free honey” scheme presented  by Ratul Saha from WWF India – Sundarbans, which supports bee farming in the forest fringe to reduce the number of people entering the forest, and putting themselves as risk, when collecting forest honey.

HTC occurs when a wild tiger interacts with humans, their animals or livestock, and this results in an injury or death to human, livestock or tiger. The solution is to minimize contact between wild tigers and humans, however, as Asia develops competition for space and habitat increases. Add to this the Tx2 goal to double wild tiger numbers and the challenges grow.

WWF’s integrated HTC management programme will tackle HTC on a scale never attempted before, including:

• strengthened national policies
• innovative and preventative actions e.g. fencing, solar lighting, land use planning and livestock management
• post event mitigation, e.g. insurance and compensation schemes and alternative livelihoods programs
• HTC hotspot mapping and understanding local tolerance trends toward tigers
• better trained and equipped rapid response teams in all HTC hotspots
• monitoring to inform where and why certain actions are and are not working

For more information contact: Dr. Ashley Brooks abrooks@wwf.org.my

"Thank you for this great opportunity!" - Christopher Wong, WWF Malaysia - Bajaran Titiwangsa Landscape