Another year of the tiger has rolled around according to the Chinese lunar calendar. There is good news to report since the last year of the tiger in 2010 when range countries agreed to double their tiger populations by 2022.
The results are uneven accross Asian rainge states, but strides are being made in four countries with the largest populations: India, Bhutan, Nepal and Russia. WWF tells US of twelve ways countries are responding to the challenge of increasing tiger numbers in twelve years:
- Countries are increasing connectivity of protected areas to allow tigers to roam naturally in search of prey and mates. Russia has seen its tiger population triple in the Land of the Leopard National Park located in the nation's Far East;
- Involving local human populations in tiger conservation is an important way of protecting the species at risk. Nepals Khata Corridor has expanded from 248 acres to 9,390 acres as a result of local communtiy efforts. This functional corridor allows tigers to move between Nepal and India
- WWF is working with governments to break the illegal trade in tiger parts. An international black market demands cooperative law enforcement. There has been an increase in regional cooperation leading to more political support for tiger conservation efforts.
- Expanding tiger habitat has led to sightings of tigers in new areas. Nepal has recorded tigers at altitudes never before seen, expanding its habitat by 124 miles.
- In India, tiger reserves sometimes loose their indigenous tiger population as human activity encroaches or prey leaves the area. Conservation officers have engaged in relocation activity in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, where breeding has not occurred since 2006. As of January 2021 two adult tigers have been relocated from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji. More relocation are planned, since some tiger reserves are confronting an over-population problem
- Supporting the effort of rangers assigned to protect tigers helps. Bhutan's Royal Manas NP has doubled its tiger numbers through improved ranger patrolling using a portable app called SMART which allows rangers to access a wildlife database and adapt their patrolling to the locations of greatest threat.
- Human-tiger conflict is increasing in the world's most populated regions. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has community response teams that get involved in conflict situations by educating the public, understanding tiger behavior, and identifying tiger prints. They support local officials who respond to tiger conflict situations. This type of intervention can save lives--tiger and human.
- Thailand has lost many of its tigers, but is making an effort to restore prey species such as muntjac, sambar deer, and gaur in an important step towards tiger recovery.
- In Southeast Asia, snaring is extensively used as a away to catch food. Snare also catch tigers, which leads to fatal results. Malaysia's tiger population continues to decline due to habit loss and snaring. Patrol teams in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex have reduced active snares by 94%
- India registered 50 tiger reserves in 2020. It has sixty percent of the world's population of tigers and almost 1.4 billion people. Within a year 14 of the reserves met sustainable conservation standards set by the CATS program (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards)
- The tiny country of Bhutan, partnering with WWF has set about obtaining sustainable financing for its network of protected areas including tiger corridors and high biodiverse conservation areas. An amazing 51% of the nation in a protected status under the Bhutan for Life program.