SNRAS will sponsor a free public lecture Wednesday, Sept. 8 on the UAF campus, with Anish Andheria (pictured at right) of the Wildlife Conservation Trust and Sanctuary Asia presenting the speech.
The topic is "Tigers: going, going, gone?"
Andheria is the director of science, natural history, and photography for the charitable trust dedicated to preserving, protecting, and conserving wildlife. He said in 1910 22 percent of India was thick forest, which in turn harbored 40,000 wild tigers. Today, the Protected Area Network constitutes only 4.5 percent of India and tiger numbers have dwindled to less than 1,400.
After SNRAS doctoral student Archana Bali took a field course with Andheria, she invited him to speak at UAF if he ever visited Alaska. Andheria, a prominent tiger expert, conservationist, and educator, said, "Despite the recent drop in tigers' numbers, India offers the best chance of conserving one of the most charismatic animals to have ever walked on Earth. Large carnivore populations have declined or are on a decline across the planet. History has shown that this decline is not a factor of human densities or economic status of the host nation. It simply boils down to political will and the insensitivity quotient of the general public toward large carnivores."
He continued: "Large carnivore conservation translates to protection of forests, which in turn results in protection of innumerable lifeforms and water sources (rivers and lakes) that act as important life-support systems for millions of human beings.
"Tiger conservation also amounts to climate change mitigation."
Andheria and Associate Professor Susan Todd invite students, faculty, staff, and the public to the event. Parking permits are available for a minimal fee in the parking lot behind the IARC building. Contact Dr. Todd for further details. The event is at 1:15 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Elvey Auditorium.
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