Sanctuary | Report
Our world is full of ironies. And
at times thankfully so. At one end of the
conservation spectrum, scientifi c research
provides evidence of the sixth mass
extinction of global biodiversity, fuelled
by people’s thoughtless actions. At the
other end are cases of victories – revival
of local wildlife populations, due to human
initiatives and positive action. No story
represents this better than that of
the tiger.SHEREN SHRESTHA/WWF NEPAL
By Sheren Shrestha
A KINGDOM RESTORED
I have been fortunate to work with
protagonists of conservation in India,
and be associated with these stories of
change. Notwithstanding questions on
national populations, experts agree on the
improved status of tigers in well-managed
Protected Areas (PAs) in the country.
In 2016, I returned to my native
country of Nepal, amidst news of
successes in tiger conservation. Nepal,
like India, has been working to protectits tigers. Its tiger population increased
from 121 in 2008 to 198 in 2013, a 63
per cent spike in fi ve years! While Nepal’s
achievement, including possibly meeting
the Tx2 target well in advance, was
exhorted, there has been little mention
of the eff orts that went into bringing
this about.
When I joined WWF Nepal that year,
my colleague Sabita Malla off ered me an
opportunity to document the Himalayan