歷史性的國際老虎保育高峰會21日開議，主辦國俄羅斯於開議前下令展開行動，保護西伯利亞虎(Amur tiger)的棲息地，發布禁令規定不得砍伐朝鮮松。此樹種已列入新版當局最新版的禁伐喬灌木名單中。
世界自然基金會(WWF)俄羅斯分會執行長薛斯汀(Igor Chestin)表示，「在虎年發布禁止砍伐朝鮮松的禁令，對西伯利亞虎來說是再好不過的禮物了。朝鮮松對老虎保育來說極具重要性，它們的松果是野豬賴以為生的食物，而野豬則是老虎的獵物。」(更正註)
瀕臨絕種的西伯利亞虎，在野外數目已經低於500隻，以俄羅斯東南部以及中國北部為棲息地。
WWF俄羅斯分會將禁伐朝鮮松的命令列於俄羅斯必須採取的八大首要老虎保育行動之一，這份行動清單已於今夏遞呈俄羅斯環境自然資源部。
國際老虎保育論壇是全世界第一個將焦點集中在單一物種的全球保育會議。長達4天的論壇於21日在聖彼得堡揭開序幕，由素來即對老虎保育抱有熱忱的俄國首相普丁主持，而世界銀行總裁佐利克(Robert Zoellick)則資助論壇的舉辦。
而在此之前，遠在俄國遠東區南部的城市海參崴(Vladivostok)，已有國際老虎青年論壇(International Tiger Youth Forum)於19日率先登場，以參與者替「虎道」(Tiger Trail)揭幕登台亮相。虎道由Vladstroiservis公司為WWF打造，由13片黑色與玫瑰色的花崗岩以西洋棋的方式排列而成，每片花崗岩各自有老虎的足跡以及一個仍然有老虎棲息的國家名稱，包括：孟加拉、不丹、越南、印度、印尼、柬埔寨、中國、寮國、馬來西亞、緬甸、尼泊爾、泰國，以及俄羅斯。
這些國家的政府已經在聖彼得堡老虎保育論壇展開前兩年就進行相關工作，界定其對老虎保育的國家立場。這些政府代表將簽署聖彼得堡宣言，重申他們拯救老虎免於絕種的決心。
老虎保育團體對這些採取的行動以及在聖彼得堡訂下的經費投注寄予厚望，希望這些資源能夠開始逆轉自20世紀以來全球老虎從10萬隻驟降至3,200隻老虎的下降趨勢。
俄國首相普丁在論壇最後一天將會親自出席，其他會出席的國家領導人包括：中國總理溫家寶、印度總理辛格( Manmohan Singh)、印尼總統尤多約諾(Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)，尼泊爾總理尼帕爾(Madhav Kumar Nepal)、以及泰國總理艾比希(Abhisit Vejjajiva)。
這13個老虎棲息地國家將會由他們的環境、自然資源，森林以及外交部長作為指派代表。
美國的保育團體催促美國國務卿希拉蕊出席峰會，但是屆時將由美國民主及全球事務國務次卿歐泰羅(Maria Otero)代理出席。國務次卿歐泰羅亦將與公民社會團體及俄國政府官員會面。
事實上，總部位於美國的保育團體Panthera正抵制這場老虎峰會，因為Panthera希望能將焦點放在最常有老虎繁衍後代發生的42個小規模保護區，確保老虎不被盜獵者傷害，而非如國際峰會所強調著重於整體與地貌的保育方法。
Panthera的執行副會長杭特博士(Luke Hunter)解釋道，「Panthera很憂心的是，聖彼得堡的峰會只承諾了一串長長的清單，並沒有把問題焦點放在最根本的屠殺老虎問題上，也沒有提供任何的措施要求來立即達到拯救老虎的目標。」
杭特表示，「雖然我們同意當老虎數量穩定後，如當地民眾教育以及使用二氧化碳排放權等不同議題可能會有幫助，但是我們完全不同意對於老虎數目驟降的原因仍有許多未解之謎這種說法。」
WWF美國分會的老虎計畫經理隆恩(Barney Long)已經在過去兩年持續舉辦論壇。他了解Panthera的立場，並在訪談中對ENS表示， 「Panthera針對這些核心問題的說法完全是正確的。但是大部分其他的保育團體以及政府認為老虎屬於更大的問題的一部分，而非是隔離的單一問題。老虎需要大面積的林地才能繁衍下一代。它們需要大規模地貌的保育，水體的清潔與保護。碳排放議題跟對抗貧窮也是問題的一部分。因此政府才會對較大規模的解決方案有興趣。」
Days before the opening of its historic International Tiger Conservation Forum, the Russian government has moved to preserve key Amur tiger habitats by banning the logging of Korean pine. The tree species is included in a new version of the list of tree and shrub species prohibited for timber logging.
"A ban on Korean pine logging is the best gift for the Amur tiger in the Year of the Tiger," says Igor Chestin, CEO of WWF-Russia. "Korean pine has a crucial importance for tiger conservation: its cones are fodder for wild boars, and wild boars are tiger's prey."
The endangered Amur tiger, numbering fewer than 500 in the wild, lives in southeastern Russia and northern China.
WWF-Russia included the Korean pine ban in the list of top eight measures that must be taken in Russia for tiger conservation, which were presented to the Ministry of natural resources and environment of Russia in the summer.
The International Tiger Conservation Forum is the first global conservation meeting to focus on a single species. The four-day forum opens Sunday in St. Petersburg, hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has taken a personal interest in tiger conservation, and backed by head of the World Bank Group Robert Zoellick.
Tiger conservation meetings have already begun at the International Tiger Youth Forum in Vladivostok, a city in the south of the Russian Far East .
Tiger Youth Forum participants today opened the Tiger Trail in Vladivostok. Constructed by Vladstroiservis Company for WWF, the trial consists of 13 black and rose granite stones, laid out in chess order, each with a tiger track and name of one of the countries, still inhabited by tigers: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Russia.
The governments of these countries have been at work for two years in advance of the St. Petersburg Tiger Conservation Forum, defining their national positions on tiger conservation. Their representatives will sign the St. Petersburg Declaration, affirming their resolve to save wild tigers from extinction.
Tiger conservation groups have high hopes that the actions taken and financial pledges made in St. Petersburg will begin to reverse the steep decline of the global tiger populations to about 3,200 from about 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century.
Prime Minister Putin will attend in person on the last day of forum. Other heads of state who are scheduled to be there include: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.
All 13 tiger range states will be represented by their ministers of environment, natural resources, forestry or foreign affairs.
U.S. Conservation groups were urging U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to attend, but instead, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero leads the U.S. delegation in St. Petersburg. Under Secretary Otero will also be meeting with civil society groups and Russian government officials.
The U.S.-based conservation group Panthera is actually boycotting the tiger summit. Instead of the big picture and landscape-scale conservation the international summit will address, Panthera wants to focus on a small group of 42 protected areas where most tiger breeding occurs, and make sure they are protected from poachers.
Panthera Executive Vice President Dr. Luke Hunter explains, "At Panthera, we are concerned that, instead of maintaining a blowtorch focus on the fundamental problem of tiger-killing, the St. Petersburg summit offers up a long shopping list of activities with no clear measureable mandates that actually save tigers right here and now."
"While we agree that disparate issues such as educating local people about tigers and employing carbon emission allowances to preserve tiger habitats may help in the future when tiger populations are stabilized, Panthera fundamentally disagrees that there are many pieces of the puzzle when dealing with the immediate reversal of tiger decline," Hunter said.
Barney Long, Tiger Programme manager for WWF US, has been organizing the forum for the past two years. He understands Panthera's position. "What they are saying about these core areas is absolutely correct," Long told ENS in an interview.
"But most of the other conservation organizations and governments think tigers are part of a bigger picture - not just isolated. "Tigers need large areas of forests for genetically viable populations. They need landscape scale conservation, watershed services and protection. Carbon issues and poverty alleviation are part of the picture. So the governments are interested in that scale."
全文及圖片詳見：ENS報導
※ 本文與
合作刊登
