Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 | Page 117

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Tiger Numbers Rise
for First Time in a Century
By Brian Clark Howard
Tiger range countries are on their way to their goal of doubling the
animal’s population, but challenges remain.
A
t last—some good news for tigers. Driven largely by
conservation successes in India, Russia, and Nepal,
the global population of tigers in the wild has shown a
significant increase in the past few years, the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports in a new survey. The
report comes as national leaders meet in India to
discuss next steps for saving the iconic—and highly
endangered—species. Several countries have seen growth in tiger numbers.
Two are India and Russia, which are also places where
Dollar says National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative has
been conducting studies and sponsoring conservation
projects.
“We’re positively surprised by the numbers, which
validate what we thought has been happening thanks
to conservation efforts,” says Ginette Hemley, senior
vice president for conservation at WWF. “India is investing unprecedented resources in tigers, and
now we can see those investments are paying off,” Hemley
says. (Learn more about tiger conservation in India.)
Two-thirds of the world’s tigers live in India, where
they’ve increased from 1,706 to 2,226 during the past
five years. The country has stepped up anti-poaching
The study estimates that there are now 3,890 wild tigers, patrols and offers compensation to farmers or villagers
up from 3,200 in 2010, when countries announced a who experience injury or loss from tigers, as a means of
historic commitment to double the population by 2022. preventing retaliatory killings. India has also invested in
Countries appear to be heading toward their goal, and sustainable tourism around tiger reserves, a model that
this is the first time tiger numbers have been increasing seems to be working so well that officials are talking
globally in more than a hundred years.
about expanding the reserve system.
The conservation group compiled the data based on
rigorous national surveys conducted by several countries,
including India and Bangladesh, as well as on estimates
by independent scientists from the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature, the world’s authority on
biodiversity conservation. Such estimates were necessary
in countries where no formal tiger surveys have been
done, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and
Myanmar.
“This report shows great momentum, but I would
caution people in thinking that we’re on an unchangeable
path toward recovery,” says Luke Dollar, who manages
the Big Cats Initiative for the National Geographic
Society. “The stakes continue to be great and tigers
remain at risk of global loss.”
Read more in Vol 1 Issue 4...
Brian Clark Howard
Success Stories
Vol 1|Issue 5-6|Nov 16 - Jan 17
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