Land Rover re-affirms commitment to tiger conservation in India

Land Rover has announced its support of a collaborative tiger conservation project. The project works with the government and communities across the Satpuda landscape to protect the Bengal tiger and its habitat throughout Central India.

By supporting the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Programme (SLTP), Land Rover is continuing its global partnership with the Born Free Foundation, one of the key partners of the SLTP which established the Programme with the University of Oxford’s WildCRU ten years ago. The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. Born Free takes action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering.

Of the 2,200 Bengal tigers in India, at least 350 are in the Satpuda Hills. The Satpuda forests of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra offer the best hope for saving the Bengal tiger in the wild. With a network of seven tiger reserves connected by forest corridors, this is the largest block of tiger habitat in India.

The Born Free Foundation, in partnership with Oxford University’s WildCRU, is restructuring existing projects into a network of Partners operating across the landscape, funding their specific needs and developing better communication between them.  This ensures limited resources are maximised and targeted to protect wildlife and meet the most urgent needs of the people that live close to tigers.

This collaborative approach is implemented by a highly-motivated team of Indian conservationists who are responsible for carrying out SLTP’s various activities. These include the promotion of the needs of Bengal tigers by focusing on healthcare.

In the last year the SLTP has educated over 16,000 children in environmental issues and delivered health services to over 15,000 people living in rural villages. They have also brought legal opposition to environmentally damaging projects that has succeeded in influencing – and in some cases, stopping – their implementation. This supports their efforts to promote environmentally sustainable livelihoods.

Mark Cameron, Global Brand Experience Director, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “This incredible project allows us to cement our strong relationship with the Born Free Foundation to help protect the Bengal tigers and their surrounding communities.

“By working with the SLTP partners we can underpin key conservation strategies across the landscape with healthcare and education programmes to spread the key conservation messages across the tiger reserves. This collaboration with the SLTP partners and local communities is crucial to ensuring the safety, protection and well-being of the tigers, and the people who live close by.

“The project’s Land Rover vehicles with their all-terrain capability have played a vital role in supporting this programme, enabling the team to reach areas which would otherwise be inaccessible and safely deliver personnel and equipment into, and out of, the most challenging situations.”

Last month Land Rover collaborated with the Born Free Foundation to launch a book that tracks tigers across the Indian landscape. This book, ‘Tracking the Tiger’, which has been written by auto journalist and wildlife lover Narayan (Bob) Rupani, celebrates the beauty of India’s wildlife and an authentic 50-day journey around the country’s tiger reserves.