Today’s episode focuses on the latest efforts to conserve wild tigers. After a century of decline, tiger populations began to rebound in the last decade, growing from just 3,200 in 2010 to over 5,500 today. But tigers are still an endangered species. So what are the most important steps we can take to keep tiger populations trending upward? That was the topic of the recent Sustainable Financing for Tiger Landscapes Conference in Bhutan. As the title suggests, one of the biggest hurdles facing tiger conservation is funding. Simply put, countries with wild tigers need more reliable, long-term sources of funding to continue implementing conservation measures at the scale required. Today you’ll hear from someone who attended that summit: Jenny Roberts, Director of Development and Communications for WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. Jenny provides an update on the current status of wild tigers (2:00 ), shares the key outcomes from the tiger conference in Bhutan (20:35 ), and explains what global leaders need to do next to secure a future for these iconic big cats (26:55 ).

LINKS:

WWF Tiger Facts Page

WWF Tigers Alive Initiative

Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Summit