The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)has outlined the current top ten trouble spots in a first-timeinteractive map that provides a unique overview of threats faced bywild tigers.
The map, announced on Feb. 10, comes as many Asian countries and theworld prepare to celebrate the start of the Year of the Tiger, whichbegins on Feb. 14.
However, there are only an estimated 3,200 tigers left in the wild, andthey face increasing threats including habitat loss, illegal trade andclimate change, according to the map.
There is hope though, as tiger range countries, conservation groups andorganisations such as the World Bank will gather in Russia in Septemberto lay out an ambitious agenda for saving wild tigers at a specialsummit.
In the lead up to the summit, all 13 tiger range countries havecommitted to the goal of doubling tiger numbers in the wild by 2020.
There is hope for the great cats in the Year of the Tiger, said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s Tiger Initiative.
There has never been such an ambitious, high-level commitment fromgovernments to double wild tiger numbers, he said, adding “they haveset the bar high and we hope for the sake of both the tiger and peoplethat they reach it.”
Tigers are a charismatic species and a flagship for Asia ’s biological diversity, culture and economy, Baltzer said.
Threats to wild tigers highlighted in the map include Southeast Asia , India , and Bangladesh .
Three tiger sub-species have gone extinct since the 1940s and a fourthone, the South China tiger, has not been seen in the wild in 25 years,according to the WWF.
Tigers live in 40 percent less habitat since the last Year of the Tigerin 1998, and they occupy just seven percent of their historic range.They thrive in the wild when they have strong protection from poachingand habitat loss and enough prey to eat./.
The map, announced on Feb. 10, comes as many Asian countries and theworld prepare to celebrate the start of the Year of the Tiger, whichbegins on Feb. 14.
However, there are only an estimated 3,200 tigers left in the wild, andthey face increasing threats including habitat loss, illegal trade andclimate change, according to the map.
There is hope though, as tiger range countries, conservation groups andorganisations such as the World Bank will gather in Russia in Septemberto lay out an ambitious agenda for saving wild tigers at a specialsummit.
In the lead up to the summit, all 13 tiger range countries havecommitted to the goal of doubling tiger numbers in the wild by 2020.
There is hope for the great cats in the Year of the Tiger, said Mike Baltzer, Leader of WWF’s Tiger Initiative.
There has never been such an ambitious, high-level commitment fromgovernments to double wild tiger numbers, he said, adding “they haveset the bar high and we hope for the sake of both the tiger and peoplethat they reach it.”
Tigers are a charismatic species and a flagship for Asia ’s biological diversity, culture and economy, Baltzer said.
Threats to wild tigers highlighted in the map include Southeast Asia , India , and Bangladesh .
Three tiger sub-species have gone extinct since the 1940s and a fourthone, the South China tiger, has not been seen in the wild in 25 years,according to the WWF.
Tigers live in 40 percent less habitat since the last Year of the Tigerin 1998, and they occupy just seven percent of their historic range.They thrive in the wild when they have strong protection from poachingand habitat loss and enough prey to eat./.
