ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

WWF seeks to absolve itself of controversy

The World Wide Fund for Nature-India, at the centre of a controversy, today said it had nothing to do with the government's decision to revoke permission to WWF International to establish a regional office in the country to oversee the Tiger Conservation Project.

The environment and forests ministry had last month shot down plans for the opening of the regional office of the TCP because WWF had not yet revised its Global 200 map which showed parts of Indian territory in Pakistan.

The international secretariat of the WWF last week blamed the senior management of WWF-India for operating out of control and manipulating a serious political situation which prompted the Indian government to respond as it did.

WWF-India today said in a press release that the issue was not about a single map but of several maps brought out in the course of the past two years. ''The government decision has been taken after satisfying itself of all relevant facts ...The facts of the maps being incorrect has been admitted hence there is no merit in linking the issue with the management of WWF-India or anyone else,'' it said. WWF-India had all along provided appropriate advice to the international secretariat to rectify the inaccuracies in the maps, the release claimed.

The TCP launched last year is directly under WWF-International and WWF-India has nothing to do with it. Funds come in directly for this project, an issue which rankles WWF-India, according to senior officials of the international secretariat. According to WWF International, the ''controversial'' Global 200 map was published in March 1997 and its distribution was left to WWF-India.

After the Indian government raised the issue, WWF-International ensured that its future editions would use that certified by the United Nations. The new edition of the map is due to be released in October.

In a letter to S C Sharma, additional inspector general of forests (wildlife), Director General of WWF Claude Martin said it was regrettable that the map matter had been raised again -- after it had been satisfactorily resolved earlier this year.

''We believe this situation has been created by the manipulation of certain parties in India who have an interest in seeing the denigration of the name of WWF International...It is clear to us that the information being supplied to your ministry by these parties is deliberately misleading as some of the facts stated in your memorandum (August 24) are incorrect..'' the letter claimed.

It emphasised that the WWF had no political intentions or interest in boundary disputes anywhere in the world.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report