§ 9. Mr. BakerWhat steps she is taking to ensure endangered species are not adversely affected by her Department's policies. [29618]
§ Clare ShortThe White Paper emphasises the central place of the environment in our efforts to eliminate poverty and promote sustainable development. We are clear that the best way forward is to assist poor people to find sustainable livelihoods so that they can improve their lives and sustain natural resources. Every bilateral Department for International Development programme is subject to an environmental screening to ensure that it does not adversely affect endangered species, or the environment as a whole.
§ Mr. BakerI agree with the Secretary of State, but may I draw to her attention the fact that there were 80,000 tigers in the world in 1900? Now there are fewer than 5,000, 3,000 of which are in India. Her Department could play a major role in ensuring the tiger's survival. Will she ensure that the global tiger forum is formally convened, and will she also investigate the detrimental impact of the joint forestry management programme with the Karnataka forest department in the western Ghats?
§ Clare ShortWe all want to make sure that the tiger survives, but I remind the hon. Gentleman that my Department exists to work towards eliminating poverty, not just to protect endangered species. Our view is that, if the poor can live in a way that is good for them and sustains their natural environment, that is the way to look after the planet and its people.
The hon. Gentleman referred to forestry. We are working in many areas to give poor people who live near forests some sort of ownership of the future of those forests. That, and technical support, will allow them to sustain their own forests: we will protect the planet and the animals that live in the forest.