According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, populations of endangered tigers could double over the next six years if we keep up with the conservation efforts.
Tigers are one of the most endangered species in the world, and they’re threatened with extinction due to the poaching of hundreds each year. At the moment, estimates show that only 3,200 tigers are left in the wild in the swamps, forests, and jungles of thirteen Asian countries.
Thanks to satellite data gathered between 2001 and 2014, a team of researchers has discovered the rate of tiger habitat has continued by at a far slower rate than before.
Over the fourteen years of data the researchers analyzed, the rate of decline was of 7.7 percent, which means that tigers had enough remaining wild habitat to double in numbers to as many as 6,400 specimens by the year 2022 – but only if the currently forested areas remain untouched.
Lead study author Anup Joshi from the University of Minnesota explained that the study revealed a lot less forest loss than expected. Scientists were surprised by how intact the areas were because the tiger range countries are also some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Moreover, Nepal and India have seen an incredible increase in tiger populations (31 percent and 61 percent respectively). This was encouraged by a combination of active community involvement, reforestation programs, and increased protection for endangered species.
The study shows that the goal of doubling wild tigers by 2022 can still be reached if “there is a will and good protection is going on,” said Joshi.
On the other hand, there are also countries like Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia where forest loss rates have reached a staggering 98 percent. According to researchers, this has likely been caused by a harmful mix of lax law enforcement and the development of palm oil plantations (these are associated with widespread deforestation).
What’s more, tiger habitats in Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Tigapuluh on the island, and in Taman Negara-Belum in Malaysia reported a 67 percent decline in forest-covered areas. And in the Cambodian Northern Plains, there is only enough forest left to support the habitat of 174 tigers.
Therefore, the study recommends regular monitoring every two years in the 29 conservation landscapes identified to be crucial for tiger survival, as well as a fund of $750 billion expected to be invested annually in infrastructure projects in tiger range countries over the next ten years.
Image Source: Kids National Geographic
