KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is proposing to adopt the Kuala Lumpur Joint Statement on Tiger Conservation to recover and boost tiger population in potential tiger habitats within the South East Asia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the 13-point joint statement would support implementation actions within the South East Asia Tiger Recovery Action Plan (STRAP).
"The loss of tigers knows no geographical, cultural and political boundaries. In this time of need, let us, as the Tiger Range Countries and partners work together in the spirit of a 'world family', to save our tigers.
"The adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Statement, STRAP and Resource Mobilisation Strategy will provide tiger range countries a means to set realistic actionable targets in their bid to achieve tiger recovery goals," he said when officiating the Fourth Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation (AM4C).
He added that the Financial Resource Mobilisation Assessment would be further deliberated by member countries.
"It would include financing plans for tiger conservation which Southeast Asian countries may use when implementing tiger conservation efforts," he said.
Ismail Sabri reiterated Malaysia's firm pledge to protect tiger and its habitats that was made in the Saint Petersburg Declaration 2010.
"Malaysia will continue to strengthen its tiger conservation efforts and support various global initiatives, including those recommended through the AMC4.
"I applaud significant contributions of partners for the implementation of national tiger action plans and Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP)," he said.
He also highlighted efforts that have been conducted by Malaysia to save tigers domestically and internationally.
Domestically, he said, the Malayan Tiger has been afforded the highest level of protection in the legislation - 'Totally Protected Species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 and Appendix 1 under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008.
"Provisions in the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 were strengthened and passed by the Parliament in December 2021.
"Also, the Cabinet on June 16 last year had agreed on nine extraordinary actions for the conservation of the Malayan Tiger from 2021 to 2030."
He said other successful tiger conservation initiatives included the award winning Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK) as well as the Biodiversity Protection and Patrolling Programme (BP3).
"Under these two programmes, 167 wildlife criminals were arrested for smuggling goods worth RM36 million.
"The Greening Malaysia Agenda through the 100 million Tree Planting Campaign from 2021 to 2025, was successful as well, approximately 26.21 million trees from 993 species were planted under this programme as of January 2022."
He said the federal government had disbursed RM130 million to state governments through Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation (EFT) to incentivise state governments to protect and expand tiger habitats.
He said on the international front, Malaysia took its commitment to tiger conservation and biodiversity conservation seriously.
"On the international front, we are proud to be part to an extensive list of biodiversity related multilateral conventions including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
"Malaysia is also collaborating with various international agencies to combat illegal wildlife trade including the Asean Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement (AWG CITES & WE) and the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol)."