Acquisition International - Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2023 25 nce, over 100,000 tigers roamed the earth. Now, there are only 6,000. Tigers are not only incredibly beautiful animals, but as an apex predator, they are also a great indicator of the health of the entire ecosystem. By preserving the tiger, we also maintain an important spokesperson for the environment as a whole. There are two different approaches to the preservation of the tiger. First, direct intervention, in which professionals rescue and rehabilitate animals. Secondly, by protecting the environment, we can enable tigers to flourish on their own. India has taken the second approach through Project Tiger, which established nine nature reserves across the country in 1973. Since then, the number of tigers in India has risen from 1,800 to 4,500 (6,000 if you count the cubs). While many organisations focus exclusively on helping endangered species, humans, or the environment alone, The Tiger Center (TTC) has learned that you cannot save one without saving the others. The not-for-profit organization (NPO) operates based on the belief that the tiger can be helped most effectively by helping the surrounding environment and people. These are the elements of the “Golden Triangle” model of conservation it has established, which asserts that the three must flourish together in order to survive at all. As a result, the Tiger Center promotes tiger conservation, fosters ecologically sensitive economic development, and delivers programmes for people. TTC works with communities that want to protect tigers and environment, and yet also face high unemployment and very low wages. The organisation provides them with medical care, warm winter blankets, clothing, water filters, and other essentials. It also provides snake removal and relocation. TTC provides vocational education through sewing schools for women that qualify them for micro-loans to open tailoring businesses. It has a furniture factory that allows rice farmers to access employment off-season and promotes tribal cultural events, an art gallery, and exhibitions focused on India’s tribal population and the beauty of nature. For the environment, TTC helps local people gain access to ecotechnologies, as well as using solar power in its vocational school. The NPO believes education and awareness have the power to change the world. So, it delivers conservation messages, which have reached 2.5 million children through ITC school notebooks. TTC has also collaborated with create2donate and the Albatross Foundation to offer -- across the globe -- locally produced artwork O focused on the environment and indigenous people. Albatross has trained more than 13,000 children in China, Brazil, and France on sustainable development and has distributed over 45,000 custom-developed books. TTC’s integrated approach has worked well. Its “Golden Triangle” model of conservation has been discussed in India’s parliament and impacted public policy. While forest guards are important, the community must be behind them, for conservation efforts to succeed. “It takes a village” (more than one, in this case), as well as informed policymakers, to make significant social and environmental change. TTC therefore works at the grassroots levels to gain the trust of its communities, influence public policy, proliferate eco-technology, and save lives and livelihoods in multiple ways. Team synergy at TTC is as important as the mission’s synergy. Baiga, Gond, local, national, and international men and women work seamlessly together. On-the-ground activities in Kanha are led by key individuals such as Nishikant Mukerji, Sudhir Puranik, Ashish Kachwaha, Rano Lakhera, Sonsay Baiga, and Ramesh Mehta. As a result of the outstanding work it does, the Tiger Center has been awarded Social Enterprise Innovator of the Year, India, in the Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2023. In the coming years, the NPO plans to continue its efforts to help tigers, environment, and people, expanding its programs and pursuing MedTech and EdTech solutions for communities worldwide. The Tiger Center’s Executive Chairman, Dr. CJ Meadows, is a Professor at S P Jain School of Global Management and leads their innovation and entrepreneurship center. In her new book, supported by SPJain, “Sustainable Business: People, Profit, and Planet at The Tiger Center”, she shares TTC’s story and insights, their new “Golden Triangle” model, key facts and figures, and the more fascinating aspects of the organisation. Contact: CJ Meadows Company: The Tiger Center Web Address: www.tigercenter.org Based in India, the Tiger Center is an organisation dedicated to the conservation of the endangered tiger. By helping people and promoting eco-technologies, it helps tigers through a new model of conservation for economic development with ecological sustainability. Here, we take a look at the incredible work the Tiger Center does. Sep22252 Social Enterprise Innovator of the Year 2023 - India Contact: CJ Meadows Company: The Tiger Center Web Address: www.tigercenter.org Mar23681
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