What is Conversation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS)? What are its objectives? What are the findings of the recent Survey?

The Conversation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS) is an accreditation scheme which encourages tiger conservation areas to meet a set of standards and criteria, created by an international group of experts and protected area managers for effective and long term tiger conservation.
CA|TS provides an opportunity for individual tiger conservation areas or networks of areas to demonstrate their commitment and success in protecting tigers. CA|TS mission is to secure safe havens for wild tigers.
Objectives of Conversation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS): 

• Develop expert-led criteria and accreditation processes which are credible and scientifically relevant and linked with associated conservation standards.
• Register the world’s most important tiger areas and develop programmes which mobilise support and capacity for management in order to help these areas meet the CA|TS criteria.
• Establish linkages with global conservation agencies, government agencies / institutions to build capacity and mobilise resources and promote best practices.

A survey was undertaken over a hundred tiger conservation areas by 11 leading conservation organisations and countries with tiger ranges that are part of the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) Partnership. The findings of the survey include

• Only 13% of tiger conservation areas meet global standard.
• At least one-third of these areas are severely at risk of losing their tigers and most of these sites are in southeast Asia
• Despite poaching being one of the greatest threats faced by the tigers, 85% of the areas surveyed do not have the staff capacity to patrol sites effectively.
• 61% of the areas in Southeast Asia have very limited anti-poaching enforcement.

Tiger is endangered species under the IUCN list. The countries of south Asia needs to take the concentrated steps to prevent the big cat from becoming extinct.

Topics: GS-III: Conservation Environmental Pollution Degradation