National Wildlife Forensic Lab to serve as Centre of Excellence for tiger conservation

KUALA LUMPUR - The second meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Task Force - MyTTF agreed to adopt the National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory as a Centre of Excellence by empowering the functions, staff, upgrading research technologies and strategic cooperation.

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad who chaired the meeting said the meeting also agreed that police set up a Forward Operation Base at the Zabri Camp Site in Hulu Perak.

"MyTTF is the main platform to improve the administration and effectiveness of efforts taken by the government to coordinate and monitor strategic actions for the conservation of Malayan tigers and enhance the cooperation among the stakeholders and the state governments,” he said in a statement today.

The meeting attended by the Works Minister, Deputy Home Minister and council members from Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu as (Tiger Range States) representatives tabled three papers for consideration and two papers comprising initiatives taken to improve efforts for conservation of the Harimau Malaya and its habitat in Peninsula Malaysia.

According to Nik Nazmi among the considerations and suggestions accepted was to amend the MyTTF terms of reference to strengthen MyTTF’s role.

The MyTTF meeting also informed that many positive developments have taken place since the announcement of nine strategic extraordinary actions on the conservation of Harimau Malaya which was accepted by the cabinet on June 16, 2021.

"The achievement shows that efforts to save the Harimau Malaya will bear fruits if the Federal and State governments unite in their commitment to tackle the crisis of dwindling Harimau Malaya population,” he said.

He added that the scientific observation by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) throughout Malaysia showed that there are at least 15 Harimau Malaya newborns in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu.

Nik Nazmi said the MyTTF meeting also agreed to expand the implementation of the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation scheme to strengthen the management of Harimau Malaya habitat and for that purpose the Wildlife Department must be given the responsibility to spearhead the CA|TS at the National level.

"I am confident of a transformative change through the cooperation of the Federal and State governments in the conservation of the iconic species (Harimau Malaya) and serve as a platform for more outstanding actions in the future to preserve the species which has become the symbol of the nation all these years,” he said. - BERNAMA