November 2017: 7th Save Meeting and RSC held in Bangladesh

This year’s SAVE meeting hosted by Bangladesh Forest Department and IUCN Bangladesh, will always be remembered for the spectacular setting on two boats in the Sundarbans. 38 delegates assembled for the two days of continuous meetings, reporting the progress and challenges of the past year, and then updating the SAVE Blueprint and priorities. Delegates representing the SAVE Partnership and Governments assembled, armed with detailed pre-meeting reports circulated prior to the meeting. Bhutan was represented for the first time (Royal Society for the Protection of Nature), and senior delegates from central Government Forest Departments from India, Cambodia and Bangladesh as well as Chief Wildlife Warden of Haryana, and the Drug Authority of Bangladesh.

photo credit IUCN/Kazi Zenifar Azmiri

photo credit Chris Bowden

The highly successful meeting was held on board, (20-21 November) away from internet and mobile networks! We saw 7 white-rumped vultures on Day 1 before breakfast, as well as other wildlife delights including Gangetic dolphins and many kingfisher species during the pre-breakfast boat excursions amongst the mangroves. The full report and updated SAVE Blueprint will be posted on this website in the New Year once circulated and fully agreed by all delegates.

SAVE Chairman David Houston presented bouquets on behalf of SAVE to Bharathidasan S and Vibhu Prakash acknowledging their successful efforts defending the multi-dose vial court case in Madras High Court. Photo credit: IUCN/Kazi Zenifar Azmiri

Linked to the SAVE meeting, the inter-government Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meeting was held in Dhaka on 23rd November, now that Bangladesh has taken on the co-chairing role from Nepal. The reported progress was encouraging, and included the launch of an important reference book ‘Vultures and Vulture Safe Zones of Bangladesh’. This reference is an important one describing the Vulture Safe Zone protocols, not only for Bangladesh but more widely. The RSC meeting was an important updating session for the Governments,