Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen made the remark while speaking to radio the “Voice of Russia”.

Tuyen is joining representatives from 13 tiger range countries at the on-going International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg from Nov. 21-24 discussing a strategy to protect and revive tigers in the world and measures to protect this rare animal in the natural environment.

On Nov. 21, the participants passed a global programme with the aim of doubling the number of tiger in the world to 7,000 in the 2010-2022 period at an estimated cost of nearly 350 million USD.

The global programme also requires the 13 countries with living tigers to draft their national plans on tiger recovery. The countries are Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Nepal).

Russia was selected as host for the International Tiger Forum as the country has the largest number of tigers in the world (450 individuals). It is also the only nation that still preserves tiger habitats since the 1990s.

According to the WWF, the tiger populations are plunging due to illegal hunt and trade, habitat loss and fragmentation. In the last century, tigers numbered 100,000 but now there are only 3,200 and the number is still falling.

The International Youth Tiger Summit is also going on in Vladivostock, Russia, from Nov. 18-24.

(Vietnam Plus, 22/11/2010)