x
Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards
  • IBCA Secretariat H.N. 1/13 First Floor, Shanti Niketan, New Delhi-110021, India
  • joydeep@ibca.world
  • Mon - Sat 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

CA|TS

Contact us

CA|TS

About Conservation Assured

Conservation Assured (CA) is a conservation tool to set best practice standards for effective management of landscapes for target species. CA helps countries fulfil the requirement for protected area management effectiveness in international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Global Biodiversity Framework and will help national governments, and their partners in conservation, to meet the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. CA also partnered in the development of IUCN’s Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, an initiative to encourage, measure and share the success of conservation management.

CA|TS-the first species-specific “Conservation Assured” standards:

The first species-specific CA standards developed were for the tiger (Panthera tigris) in 2010, followed by jaguars (P. onca) and river dolphin species. Few tiger conservation areas were truly effective refuges for tigers and this contributed to a catastrophic decline in their numbers. Tigers had already disappeared from several protected areas where they were once regarded as secure. Since then, the globally accepted goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022 has been nearly achieved without a significant increase in the effectiveness of the tiger conservation areas across the remaining tiger range countries

Launch and standards:

Launched at the 1st Asian Parks Congress in Japan in 2013, CA|TS is a global certification system that ensures effective management specifically of tiger conservation areas. It sets benchmarks for protection, habitat management, community involvement, and wildlife monitoring. CA|TS helps identify strengths and improvement areas within reserves, supporting efforts to create safe, sustainable environments for tigers and preserve global biodiversity. CA|TS consists of seven pillars (Importance and status, Management, Community, Tourism (optional), Protection, Habitat management, Tiger populations) and 17 elements with standards and criteria for managing tiger conservation areas. Five of these pillars are applicable to conservation area management in general (although with a species-specific focus) and represent the Conservation Assured (CA) aspect of the scheme; the two final pillars focus specifically on management issues related to tiger conservation – the Tiger Standards (TS).

Structure:

The scheme is structured this way as it is planned to develop standards which focus on other endangered species in the future. Areas containing several species for which standards exist could thus aim for compliance with a range of species-specific standards; the CA standards, which include general good management practices, would only need to be met once. Already draft standards have been developed for two species-jaguars (JAGS) and River dolphins (CA|RDS).

CA|TS Process

CA|TS is not a ranking system but assesses whether areas meet best practice standards for tiger conservation. Areas can be recorded as Registered or Approved, based on an auditing process involving self-assessment, national audits, and international review. The scheme is voluntary and independent, allowing conservation areas to demonstrate their commitment. CA|TS is adaptable to different conditions, with guidance notes offering examples of best practices. The system aligns with the IUCN WCPA Management Effectiveness Framework.

CA|TS

Conservation Assured Tiger Standards
Visit IBCA

The mission of CA|TS is to secure safe havens for wild tigers. To do this, CA|TS has a:

Vision

Wild tigers have spaces to live and breed safe from threat resulting in increased populations and recovery of range.

Goals

  • CA|TS Approved status provides international recognition of effective tiger management and conservation.
  • Adoption and implementation of CA|TS Standards ensures tiger habitats are effectively conserved, well-managed and ecologically connected to maintain, secure and recover viable populations.
  • CA|TS demonstrates and promotes best practice in and across Tiger Conservation Areas.
  • CA|TS is used as a diagnostic tool to improve ongoing management

Objectives

  • Register the world’s most important wild tiger bearing areas and develop programmes which mobilise support and capacity for management in order to help these areas meet the CA|TS criteria.
  • CA|TS provides a roadmap for accreditation of tiger conservation areas meeting the CA|TS criteria.
  • Reassess existing CA|TS Approved sites demonstrate ongoing management best practise
  • Establish and coordination with global conservation agencies, government or inter-government agencies and other institutions including Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to build capacity, mobilise resources and promote good practices.
  • Demonstrate links between CA|TS and other global conservation frameworks, targets and indicators.
  • The CA|TS standards inform and reflect evolving conservation science and management

TARGETS BY 2030

  • All tiger range countries are actively involved in CA|TS.
  • At least 30% of the current global wild tiger area is CA|TS Registered.
  • More than 50% of Registered areas are CA|TS Approved
  • Mechanisms, including funding, to support implementation of CA|TS criteria in all Registered areas are in place and monitoring of progress provides evidence of the effectiveness of CA|TS in improving conservation management.

Why Implement CA|TS?

CA|TS aims to provide both an incentive and guidance for improving the effectiveness of conservation areas as a tool for tiger conservation and to provide a mechanism for identifying gaps, monitoring, demonstrating and guaranteeing the effectiveness of the system of tiger conservation areas.

CA|TS can provide a range of benefits

  • For national and conserved protected areas systems:to help set a baseline and facilitate adaptive management and continual improvement of performance.
  • For a protected/conserved area manager or a national protected area department: to demonstrate the importance and role of protected areas in the global effort to double the number of tigers and for CA|TS Approved sites and overall governing structure at local, regional and federal (national level) to take in pride in and value of international recognition of effective management.
  • For a protected/conserved area manager or a national protected area department: Help identify capacity building needs and develop training programmes to fill gaps in capacity.
  • For a tiger conservation area manager:to provide best practices on management and help mobilize the support needed to provide the necessary resources and capacity to be effective in tiger conservation. CA|TS can also work as diagnostic framework for operationalization of existing management plans or developing new ones.
  • For protected/conserved area rangers: to identify capacity needs and provide a clear indication of high professional standards, improve career prospects and boost morale
  • For the government of a tiger range state: to demonstrate commitment to global tiger conservation efforts and to provide verified information for reporting obligations under the CBD and other similar regional and global agreements.
  • For the global conservation community : to measure impacts of tiger conservation and identify and monitor the level of management and support for conservation.
  • For the donor community: to identify resource and capacity gaps, to assess the seriousness and professionalism of the management within a protected / conserved area or protected area system; to help improve dissemination of funds and target those conservation strategies most likely to succeed. CA|TS can build the performance evidence base needed for innovative financing such as “Tiger Bonds” or other green investment vehicles.
  • For supporters of tiger conservation: to understand the level of quality to which the network and the individual conservation / protected areas are being managed and contributing to tiger conservation
  • For tiger conservation: to set a minimum standard for tiger conservation within protected/conserved areas and provide an objective measurement of effectiveness
  • For other flagship species: For Government, Inter-government and Non-government stakeholders for conservation and in-situ management of other flagship species including big cats, develop standards following the “Conservation Assured” model and implementation structure including governance following CA|TS, currently the most established specific species based “Conservation Assured” standards.

CA|TS Governance

CA|TS is led by a broad partnership of organisations sitting in five distinct groups plus the tiger conservation areas (TCAs):-

  • CA|TS International Executive Committee: Ensures the quality and equivalence of the CA|TS process; both the CA|TS Standards as a means of measuring the performance of a Tiger Conservation Area (TCA) as a secure haven for wild tigers, and the quality of the submissions made by TCAs seeking to be CA|TS Approved.
  • National Committees (NCs): are established in each TRC and are responsible for ensuring the quality and effective execution of CA|TS. They are responsible for promoting CA|TS in their jurisdiction and overseeing TCA participation including reviewing TCA Registrations and approve dossier submissions before recommending them to the International Executive Committee for approval. They are also responsible for managing the programmes of improvement within the TCAs.
  • CA|TS Management Team: Supports the entire CA|TS Partnership and acts as the Secretariat for the International Executive Committee. It manages daily operations as outlined in the CA|TS Business Plan (CA|TS, 2018).
  • CA|TS Support Group: Is made up of international NGOs, institutions, intergovernmental organisations, non-tiger range governments and donor organisations (members can be found on conservationassured.com). Its role is to support, promote and implement CA|TS and to work closely with government agencies responsible for tiger conservation
  • CA|TS host: Is the organisation which hosts the management team and provides support for the implementation of CA|TS. The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is the current CA|TS Host.

Role of IBCA as Host

The CA|TS Host is the organisation which hosts the management team and provides support for the implementation of CA|TS. The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is the current CA|TS Host.

  • Specifically:-
  • Provide a “home” for CA|TS through hosting/secretariat facilities for CA|TS.
  • Serve on the CA|TS IEC and provide technical inputs.
  • Make available services of a Regional Coordinator-CA|TS to the TRCs to facilitate CA|TS implementation in the TRCs.
  • Build/strengthen the profile and image of CA|TS internationally as the minimum standard for tiger conservation site management.
  • Ensure CA|TS implementation in the TRCs as per approved standards and protocols.
  • Help TRCs with external technical and financial support towards CA|TS assessments, and follow up actions wherever needed.
  • Build an international network of CA|TS Reviewers for use by national committees
  • Institutionalize M&E of impact of CA|TS implementation over different sites collectively for tiger conservation over overall tiger range.
  • Develop/strengthen Conservation Assured (CA) standards for other big cats using the CA|TS model and implement in the range countries.

    • CA|TS Registered and Approved Sites

    There are 134 registered CA|TS sites in seven countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia, Nepal and Russia), with 34 achieving CA|TS Approved status-26 in India, 4 in Bhutan, 2 in Russia and 1 each in Nepal and Malaysia. There are other sites in TRCs which are undergoing assessments for possible CA|TS approved status in the near future.

    Other sites are under assessment for approval.

    Seven BIG CATS

    Tiger

    Tiger

    Lion

    Lion

    CHEETAH

    CHEETAH

    LEOPARD

    LEOPARD

    PUMA

    Puma

    JAGUAR

    JAGUAR

    Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard

    CA|TS

    Links
    Contact

    © Copyright 2025 by IA-meetings