Related News
Tigers in danger of 'last stand' as species
Source: Agencies |
September 16, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ASIA'S tiger population could be close to extinction with fewer than 3,500 tigers remaining in the wild and most clustered in fragmented areas making up less than 7 percent of their former range in Asia, a study says.
The study in online journal PLoS Biology says saving tigers living in 42 sites across Asia from poachers, illegal loggers and the wildlife trade is crucial to prevent the species becoming extinct in the wild.
The cost of achieving this would be an additional US$35 million a year in funding for law enforcement and monitoring, the report's lead authors from the United States-based Wildlife Conservation Society say.
"The tiger is facing its last stand as a species," John Robinson, executive vice president of conservation and science for the WCS, said.
Of the tigers remaining in the wild, only about 1,000 are breeding females.
The authors said in spite of decades of efforts by conservationists, much of the decline was being driven by demand for tiger body parts used in traditional medicine. Overhunting of prey and destruction of hunting grounds were other reasons.
Lead author Joe Walston from WCS and his co-authors identified 42 tiger "source sites" that contained breeding populations of tigers and which had the potential to seed the recovery of tigers across wider areas.
India had 18 sites, the Indonesian island of Sumatra eight and the Russian far east six, with others in Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh.
"Based on available data, no source site was identified in Cambodia, China, North Korea or Vietnam," said the study.
The study in online journal PLoS Biology says saving tigers living in 42 sites across Asia from poachers, illegal loggers and the wildlife trade is crucial to prevent the species becoming extinct in the wild.
The cost of achieving this would be an additional US$35 million a year in funding for law enforcement and monitoring, the report's lead authors from the United States-based Wildlife Conservation Society say.
"The tiger is facing its last stand as a species," John Robinson, executive vice president of conservation and science for the WCS, said.
Of the tigers remaining in the wild, only about 1,000 are breeding females.
The authors said in spite of decades of efforts by conservationists, much of the decline was being driven by demand for tiger body parts used in traditional medicine. Overhunting of prey and destruction of hunting grounds were other reasons.
Lead author Joe Walston from WCS and his co-authors identified 42 tiger "source sites" that contained breeding populations of tigers and which had the potential to seed the recovery of tigers across wider areas.
India had 18 sites, the Indonesian island of Sumatra eight and the Russian far east six, with others in Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh.
"Based on available data, no source site was identified in Cambodia, China, North Korea or Vietnam," said the study.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
