INDIA SNUBS WORLD BANK TIGER CONSERVATION INITIATIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002089

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/FO, OES/PCI, OES/ENRC, OES/ENV, AND SCA/INS
INTERIOR FOR FRED BAGLEY AND MINI NAGENDRAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV IN
SUBJECT: INDIA SNUBS WORLD BANK TIGER CONSERVATION INITIATIVE

NEW DELHI 00002089 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) SUMMARY: The WORLD BANK Tiger Conservation Initiative,
announced in June 2008, was met with great controversy in India with
major newspapers such as the Times of India and the Indian Express
running multiple stories on how the Government of India snubbed the
World Bank's offer for a loan as well as how the initiative sparked
outrage amongst Indian conservationists. EmbOffs discussed the
initiative with GOI, NGO, and WORLD BANK officials and learned that
not only does India have no interest in WORLD BANK assistance for in
situ tiger management, but also that four major tiger conservation
NGOs have pulled out of the International Tiger Coalition in
protest. India's rancor towards the WORLD BANK on the issue appears
to be driven by animosity over past BANK conservation projects,
pride in India's ability to conserve its own tigers, and lack of
consultation prior to the initiative's announcement. END SUMMARY.

--------------
THE WORLD BANK INITIATIVE
--------------


2. (U) On June 9, 2008, the WORLD BANK held a gala event to
announce it's new Tiger Conservation Initiative designed to help
conserve the world's remaining wild tiger population. The
initiative encompasses an action plan designed to create a more
sustainable and effective model of tiger conservation by addressing
four broad areas including: creating and implementing a
conservation paradigm that enlists incentives; providing adequate
financial resources; creating biodiversity-friendly infrastructure;
and tackling illegal trade to control poaching. A major premise of
the initiative, as stated on the WORLD BANK website, is "actions by
any country in isolation will not be adequate to save tigers and a
genuine commitment and partnership is needed to achieve this goal."



3. (U) A crucial partner in the WORLD Bank's initiative is the
International Tiger Coalition (ITC) which, prior to the announcement
of the initiative, was an alliance of 35 organizations which came
together to combat the illegal trade in tiger parts and products.
EmbOffs have confirmed that four Indian members of the ITC, the NGOs
Aaranyak, Ranthambore Foundation, Corbett Foundation, and the
Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI),who are among the most
important players in Indian tiger conservation, have all pulled out
of the ITC in protest against the WORLD BANK initiative.

--------------
THE REASONS BEHIND THE SNUB
--------------


4. (SBU) EmbOffs met with Belinda Wright, the world-renowned tiger
conservationist and Executive Director of WPSI, who explained that
the WORLD BANK had a poor history of tiger conservation in India,
didn't understand the Indian situation, and didn't properly engage
with India prior to the announcement of the initiative. She noted
the Indian conservation community still had a great deal of
animosity towards the WORLD BANK for its 1996 to 2004 Ecodevelopment
Project which, among other issues, became mired in controversy for
it's alleged misuse of funds and destruction of forest cover in
Nagerhole National Park. She said the WORLD BANK believes every
problem can be solved by throwing money at it and didn't realize
infusions of capital into rural areas of India often caused more
problems than it solved due to lack of understanding of the impact
large sums have on rural communities, lack of controls, and
corruption. She also stated the WORLD BANK tried to induce Indian
participation in the tiger conservation initiative by going directly
to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office with an offer for a loan
without consulting the Bank's putative partners, the Indian NGOs.
She said the lack of consultation was especially bothersome because
what became the current initiative had originally started out as an
Indian request to the BANK to prepare a study on the cross-border
illegal wildlife trade. When asked what she thought the future held
for the initiative in India, she said the WORLD BANK knows it cannot
succeed without India and that she expected the BANK to put a great
deal of pressure on the GOI to collaborate in some fashion in order
to save face. She concluded by noting the pensions of several
officials in the Prime Minister's Office were funded by the WORLD
Bank and that she wouldn't be surprised if the GOI in the end agreed
to cooperate in some fashion.


5. (SBU) In a meeting with Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF) officials Dr. R.B. Lal, Inspector General of Forest,
Wildlife, and Mr. M.B. Lal, Additional Director General, Wildlife,
EmbOffs were told the WORLD BANK had bypassed the MoEF taking its
initiative directly to the Prime Minister's Office in the form of an
offer for a loan. When asked what they thought of the initiative,
Dr. R.B. Lal responded by questioning what the WORLD BANK had to
offer stating that India had far greater expertise in tiger

NEW DELHI 00002089 002.2 OF 002


conservation than the BANK and that India didn't need the Bank's
money considering it had recently allocated $153 million for tiger
conservation. Mr. M.B. Lal took a slightly softer line stating the
GOI would be happy to cooperate internationally on enforcement and
capacity building but did not need assistance with in situ tiger
management claiming the WORLD BANK should stick to infrastructure.


6. (SBU) EmbOffs also met with WWF-India Secretary General Ravi
Singh, who noted he was the only Indian NGO attendee at the WORLD
Bank's announcement of the initiative held at the National Zoo in
Washington, D.C. He said he "got hell" from the other Indian NGOs
for attending the event but credited the BANK for shining a
spotlight on tiger conservation and particularly praised the Bank's
enlistment of Hollywood celebrities Harrison Ford, Bo Derek, and
Robert Duval, who helped garner much of the media attention. He
confirmed a great deal of what Ms. Wright had said regarding Indian
animosity towards the BANK for its past conservation efforts but
noted a lot of the ire was inspired by the Bank's failure to consult
with the Indian NGOs. He stated he had been present at a meeting of
the NGOs in Kanha National Park where the initiative had been
discussed and one of the concerns was perceived arrogance on the
part of the Bank. He stated it was at this meeting that several
Indian ITC members had decided to withdraw from the coalition. When
asked about the future of the initiative in India, Singh stated the
Bank needed to clearly communicate how it could assist India and
that offers for a loan or expertise would not suffice.


7. (SBU) In a meeting with Charles Cormier, Team Leader,
Environment and Water Resources, the Delhi-based WORLD BANK official
with direct responsibility for conservation issues, EmbOffs were
told the BANK had not made a proposal to the GOI regarding tiger
conservation and that media reports the BANK had offered India a
loan were false. Mr. Cormier stated he had spent a great deal of
time trying to set the record straight and candidly informed EmbOffs
the BANK understands India is not interested in its assistance for
tiger conservation. He did note the Delhi office of the BANK was
not the prime driver of the initiative and that any future movement
in India would be coming from the Bank's headquarters in Washington.



8. (U) COMMENT: Considering India is home to the world's largest
population of wild tigers, the WORLD BANK needs India's
participation in the Tiger Conservation Initiative for it to have
any long-term impact. Although India's tigers are under great
threat, Indian NGOs, the GOI, and the state governments take great
pride in their conservation efforts which, since 2005, is reasonably
justified. India no longer needs outside money to conserve tigers,
another source of pride, and considers offers of expertise on in
situ tiger management, especially from countries that do not have
wild tiger populations, insulting. That said, the distinction
between managing tigers within reserves and overall tiger
conservation, especially combating the illegal wildlife trade which
the GOI has recognized as a legitimate area for international
cooperation, is an important one that should be properly addressed.
END COMMENT.

WHITE