Study: Tiger population could be increased three folds
Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – A recent research carried out by the renowned conservation scientists has reveled that Asia could host more than 10,000 wild big cats, if they are managed as large-scale landscapes that allow for connectivity between core breeding sites.
Wild tiger numbers have declined from about 100,000 in the early 1900s to as few as 3,200 today due to poaching of tigers and their prey, habitat destruction and human/tiger conflict.
Most of the remaining tigers are scattered in small, isolated pockets across their range in 13 Asian countries.
Last November, during a summit of all 13 tiger range countries in Russia, had reaffirmed that that thy will double the population of the tiger by double by 2022.
The study entitled, “A Landscape-Based Conservation Strategy to Double the Wild Tiger Population” finds that the commitment to double tiger numbers is not only possible, but can be exceeded. However, it will take a global effort to ensure that core breeding reserves are maintained and connected via habitat corridors, it said.
Nepal, China, India and Bangladesh are having major chunk of tiger population. India is home to the world’s largest population of tigers in the wild.
Of the 3,500 tigers remaining around the world, 1,400 are found in India. Altogether there are 155 adult tigers in Nepal according to the latest census.
“In the midst of a crisis, it’s tempting to circle the wagons and only protect a limited number of core protected areas, but we can and should do better,” said WWF Chief Scientist Dr. Eric Dinerstein, a co-author of the study. “We absolutely need to stop the bleeding — the poaching of tigers and their prey in core breeding areas — but we need to go much further and secure larger tiger landscapes before it is too late.”
The authors found that the 20 priority tiger conservation habitats with the highest probability of long-term tiger survival could support more than 10,500 tigers, including about 3,400 breeding females.
In the jungles of lowland Nepal, tiger numbers crashed during civil conflict from 2002 to 2006. However, tigers did not disappear entirely because Nepal and India’s tiger reserves are linked by forest corridors, which likely allowed for replenishment from India.
Besides poaching and habitat loss, the $7.5 trillion in infrastructure projects like roads, dams and mines that will be invested in Asia over the next decade threatens tiger landscapes. A focus only on core sites and protected areas like reserves, instead of larger landscapes, could be seen by developers and politicians as a green light to move forward with harmful infrastructure projects outside of core sites.
“Following the St. Petersburg Declaration, Nepal has committed to the goal of doubling wild tiger numbers across our country by 2022,” said Deepak Bohara, Nepal’s Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation. “This analysis shows that it can be done, not just in Nepal, but, if done right with careful study and planning, across the entire tiger range. It is also worth noting that tiger conservation provides carbon credits, protects water resources, and complements community development efforts. Thus, it is important to promote regional cooperation to maintain a healthy tiger corridor between different reserves.”
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