20 Jul
2006 - Gland, Switzerland/Washington, DC – The
most comprehensive scientific study of tiger habitats
ever done finds that the big cats reside in 40
per cent less habitat than they were thought to
a decade ago. The tigers now occupy just 7 per
cent of their historic range.
This landmark study, produced
by some of the world’s leading tiger scientists
at WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Smithsonian’s
National Zoological Park and Save The Tiger Fund,
calls for specific international actions to safeguard
remaining populations.
The study — Setting Priorities
for the Conservation and Recovery of the World’s
Tigers 2005-2015 — finds that conservation efforts,
such as protection from poaching, preservation
of prey species and preservation of tigers’ natural
habitat, have resulted in some populations remaining
stable and even increasing. But it concludes that
long-term success is only achieved where there
is a broad landscape-level conservation vision
with buy-in from stakeholders.
“This report documents a low-water
mark for tigers and charts a way forward to reverse
the tide,” said John Robinson of the Wildlife
Conservation Society.
“We can save tigers forever.
However, tiger conservation requires commitment
from local partners, governments and international
donors, along with effective, science-based conservation
efforts to bring the species back to all parts
of its biological range.”
Synthesizing land-use information,
maps of human influence and on-the-ground evidence
of tigers, the study identifies 76 “tiger conservation
landscapes” – places that have the best chance
of supporting viable tiger populations into the
future. Large carnivore populations like tigers
are highly vulnerable to extinction in small and
isolated reserves. Half of the 76 landscapes can
still support 100 tigers or more, providing excellent
opportunities for recovery of wild tiger populations.
The largest tiger landscapes exist in the Russian
Far East and India. Southeast Asia also holds
promise to sustain healthy tiger populations although
many areas have lost tigers over the last ten
years.
“As tiger range spans borders,
so must tiger conservation,” said Eric Dinerstein,
Chief Scientist at WWF-US. “Asia’s economic growth
must not come at the expense of tiger habitat
and the natural capital it protects.”
The group's key conclusion from
the study is that to safeguard remaining tigers,
increased protection of the 20 highest priority
tiger conservation landscapes is required. The
group also stands ready to support the 13 countries
with tigers in a regional effort to save the species.
The report’s authors suggest that the heads of
state of those countries convene a “tiger summit”
to elevate tiger conservation on their countries’
agendas.
"Saving wild tigers requires
tiger range countries to work together,” said
Mahendra Shrestha, Director of National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation’s Save The Tiger Fund.
“We have learned many important
lessons over the last ten years and this study
provides a blueprint for scientists and the countries
that hold the key for the tigers' survival.”
In addition to preserving tiger
habitat, conservation groups warn that it is critical
to also address poaching of tigers. Groups say
authorities must curb the demand for the skins
and parts of tigers and other Asian big cats and
strengthen enforcement efforts along trade routes,
in transit markets and markets in Asia.
END NOTES:
• The study was funded by Save
The Tiger Fund, a partnership between the ExxonMobil
Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, along
with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the
UN Foundation. It was written by scientists from
Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF and the Smithsonian’s
National Zoological Park.
Moira O’Brien-Malone
