KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Tiger conservation project proposed by the Wildlife Society of Selangor (WILD) has been shortlisted to win funding up to €60,000 from the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA).
In a global spotlight, the lone Asian contender among eight international projects has been shortlisted for a prestigious conservation initiative.
To secure vital funding for this endeavour, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has initiated a public online voting process.
The project that garners the most votes within each category, namely 'Forest' and 'Wild Places,' will get the coveted grant
"WILD is calling upon Malaysia to vote for its project and help save the Malayan Tiger and its habitat.
"Rewilding Yu: Reconnecting People with Nature to Save Tigers project is one of four shortlisted in EOCA's Forest category.
"Projects in the Forest category are working to protect, restore or replant wooded and forested areas," it said in a statement today.
In the event of a successful bid, WILD has revealed that the €60,000 funding from EOCA will be instrumental in scaling up their efforts.
The investment will empower local and indigenous community rangers, and Citizen Action For Tigers (CAT) Walk volunteers will significantly expand their anti-poaching and anti-deforestation patrols, increasing their coverage from 4,000 hectares to 20,000ha.
The funds will be channelled towards the planting of 5,000 trees and maintenance of a further 15,000 trees as part of a 210-hectare restoration effort.
In doing so, it said that the project would continue to support members of the local community, including the indigenous Batek and Temiar tribes, through their engagement in the project and reconnect the public with nature and wild spaces.
A stark estimation suggests that merely 150 Malayan Tigers persist in their natural habitat, underscoring their critical need for expansive, healthy, and secure forested landscapes to ensure their survival.
The Yu River Corridor, a vital watershed at the Lipis district in Pahang, is a lifeline for Malaysia's endangered wildlife, which links two of the country's most significant forested landscapes, Banjaran Titiwangsa (the Main Range) and Taman Negara, to form an area 3.5 million hectares in size.
"Without this linkage, there is no single forest large enough to support a viable population of the Malayan tiger," it added.
To vote, go to https://www.eocaconservation.org/our-projects/project-voting/forest/
and look for Rewilding Yu: Reconnecting People with Nature to Save Tigers.
The voting closes on Nov 1 at 8pm Malaysia time.
