Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
where tigers are supposed to be protected. Once a
thirsty tiger accidently steps into the trap, the
jagged metal teeth clamp onto its paw . The tiger
howls and the noise can easily alert a park ranger
who may be quite far away . In order to silence the
beast so that the ranger can't locate it, the poacher
rams a spear down its throat and rips out its vocal
cords. Then, at his leisure, he can poison, electro-
cute, or shoot the cat.
What is being done to save the tiger? “Project
Tiger,” launched 30 years ago, is the most high-profile
conservation program in the world. It and other
programs such the Convention on International
T Trade in Endangered Species Act (CITES), are ad-
mittedly on the verge of failure as tiger populations
continue to shrink.
India is home to about half the world' is wild
tigers. Skins are trafficked via Nepal and Tibet to
China and through Burma to other lucrative mar-
kets in East Asia. The rural population, deriving no
benefit from their proximity to the big cats, consid-
ers them as dangerous vermin. After all, about 300
rural dwellers in India lose their lives to leopard,
elephant, and tiger attacks each year. Moreover, cats
carry off and kill valuable livestock for food.
Poachers take advantage of the disagreements
between farmers and conservationists and can pay
villagers small sums, perhaps US$25, for their assis-
tance in tracking the beasts. If and when the poach-
ers are caught, the tiger skins and body parts are
confiscated by the government and the perpetrator
is arrested. However, given the degree of govern-
ment corruption in India, the tiger products fre-
quently end up back on the market, and this time
officials and/or police reap the profits. In 2008,
411 cases were filed against illegal hunters and
poachers for killing tigers. Not a single one of
these secured a conviction.
China, which joined CITES in 1981, banned
domestic trade in tiger products in 1993. It also
illegalized the use of tiger bone in traditional
pharmacopeias. However, growing affluence in
China has only increased demand.
Recognizing that the tiger is a renewable re-
source, entrepreneurs have taken to farming them.
Tigers breed very easily in captivity; an estimated
5,000 have been bred in this manner. However, these
animals will not be returned to the wild; they will be
slaughtered for their products. It should be noted
that no tiger breeding program has ever successfully
returned a tiger into its natural habitat; not trained to
survive in the wild by its mother, it soon dies. In the
wild, tiger cubs spend at least three years with their
mothers learning the ways of their world. On tiger
farms, cubs are taken away from their mothers at
three months; they are not supposed to learn any-
thing. “Farmers” stockpile skins to make them
scarcer and therefore more expensive. They also have
created a market for wine made from the bones.
China has identified a couple of original habitats
for the south China tiger, one of the most endan-
gered species, and is conducting a bold experiment
in re-wilding and reintroduction. It has even sent
tigers to large conservation farms in South Africa
where they can learn survival skills. Efforts are also
being made to educate and integrate local villagers
into ecotourism.
Although culture is frequently seen in opposition to
natural forces, these remain connected in a holistic, con-
textual existence. While Westerners assume a direct
connection between people' s perception of nature and
their treatment of it, this is not necessarily the case in
Asia, where contextualism and pragmatism are far more
important. Nature can be worshipped and harmed
simultaneously; one can pay homage to the tree prior to
felling it.
Certainly , Asian perceptions of nature have not stood
in the way of its destruction. Y es, Western impacts, for-
eign companies, and foreign investment all play their
roles. However, political and economic elites, the formu-
lators of national policies, facilitate, contribute to, and
benefit financially from environmentally-damaging de-
velopment schemes. With all the rhetoric about saving
endangered beasts and habitats, the juggernaut of devel-
opment continues to affect the health and well-being of
nature and humanity alike.
Current thinking does not dichotomize use or devel-
opment from environment. Since humanity cannot sur-
vive without natural resources and these cannot exist if
depleted or destroyed, development and environment are
inexorably linked. Sustainable developmenis essential
in light of human impacts on air, water, flora, fauna, and
other natural systems. It is critical for the survival and
well-being of future generations.
Conceptually , sustainable development sounds like
the right thing to do. But putting these ideas into practice
unearths such questions as these: What is the precise
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