WWF India in collaboration with Bandipur Tiger Reserve organised an awareness session on tigers, their habitat and conservation actions for schoolchildren in and around Bandipur, recently. The event was organised as part of the International Youth Summit and the upcoming Global Tiger Day that is observed on July 29.
About 130 students, teachers and the forest staff attended.
The director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Ramesh Kumar, spoke on how tigers maintain the ecological balance of the forest.
Soundaryavalli Madhugiri, Head, State Office, WWF-India engaged the children in an interactive session and explained how “protecting tigers is more than protecting one species and how they have been an integral part of our art and culture and the significant role they play for our survival.”
“They play a significant role with regard to climate change as tiger landscapes store more carbon than any other forest. Nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population is found in India and Karnataka has the second highest tiger population in the country,” she said.
She said TX2 - meaning doubling the wild tiger numbers in 12 years - was a global target committed during 2010 when the first global tiger summit was held in St. Petersburg. The year 2022 marks a significant year for the tigers and also called the “Year of the Tiger”, she added.
“Found in tropical rainforests, evergreen forests, temperate forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, and savannahs and in snow covered landscapes, this redator is endangered. It faces threats like habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, climate change and others.“
Emphasising on today’s youth power, access to technology and information, she added that children today are more knowledgeable and can do a lot for conservation work. She highlighted small actions the younger generation can make to protect tigers. She also mentioned about the upcoming Wild Wisdom Global Challenge Quiz which WWF India organised every year and the theme this year is “Tiger Trails”.
Later, schools participated in a skit competition and prizes containing WWF India publications and pencil sets were given away to the winning teams.
Post-lunch, the children were taken on a safari by the forest staff. The Forest Department thanked WWF India for making the event successful by sharing the knowledge and awareness. WWF India gave away copies of “Guidelines for Field Rangers on Anti-Poaching in and around Protected areas” to the director, Bandipur. The book was released during Rangers’ Conference and Workshop organised by WWF India, Global Tiger Foundation and TRAFFIC, a release said here.
