Tiger Conservation - Adopting a Systems Approach

Tiger conservation efforts must undergo a paradigm shift if we are to successfully save this endangered species. Conservation efforts must adopt a systems approach to ensure success. Efforts carried out in isolation will not yield desired results. Hitherto we missed the woods for the trees. In the systems approach we must view both the woods and the trees. This paper develops on the initiatives in Kerala during the period 2003-04 and suggests an alternative that needs to be built up upon. The system approach involves developing a shared vision to give direction and synergy to the team, providing a solid foundation of ethics and values, providing an enabling environment- the oxygen that will make things possible, institntionalising the scientific management of the resources at hand and constant improvement through feedback and feedforward.