The German government has given Laos funding to spend conserving its remaining population of tigers, in a scheme managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to a press release from IUCN, a total sum of 20 million euro, which will be provided through the German government's KfW Development Bank, will be used on tiger conservation in a number of eligible countries.

Besides Laos, the countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam.

The aim of the programme is to increase the number of tigers in the wild and improve the livelihoods of communities living inside or nearby their habitat areas.

The agreement was signed this week at IUCN Headquarters in Glan d, Switzerland.

“The tiger is the face of Asia's biodiversity and an emblem of the world's natural heritage,” IUCN Director General Juli a Marton-Lef?vre said.

“This generous support from Germany provides great hope for this iconic species, which is currently on the brink of extinction.”

The IUCN said any NGOs or associations in Laos working with the government could submit their proposals on how best to protect the species.

The plight of tigers in Laos is serious and the number remaining is difficult to determine, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Laos said.

WCS was able to capture two individual tigers in the Nam Et Phou Louey National Protected Area, Huaphanh province in 2012.

Saving the tiger depends on restoring its rapidly shrinking forest habitat, according to the press release.

The five-year Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme will benefit NGOs and conservation authorities from selected countries which, at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, committed to doubling the number of tigers within their territories by 2020.

The programme will involve improving the management of tiger habitats, tackling problems with the relationship between tigers and humans, increasing anti-poaching efforts and law enforcement and involving local communities in tiger conservation work.

“E nsuring the survival of tiger populations means keeping ecosystems intact,” Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, a member of the KfW Grou p Executive Board, said.

“ Tiger habitats offer prospects for tourism and guarantee the livelihood of the local community thanks to their diverse natural resources. If we make efforts to conserve these natural areas, we will directly alleviate poverty for the people living there,” Dr Kloppenburg said.

The tiger ( panthera tigris ) is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

There are probably less than 2,500 adult individuals currently surviving in the wild, down from 100,000 a century ago, the press release said.

(updated January 16, 2014)