With less than 3200 wild tigers in 2010, the heads of 13 tiger-range countries committed to doubling the global population of wild tigers by 2022. This goal represents the highest level of ambition and commitment required to turn the tide for tigers in the wild. Yet, ensuring efficient and targeted implementation of conservation actions alongside systematic monitoring of progress towards this goal requires that we set site-specific recovery targets and timelines that are ecologically realistic. In this study, we assess the recovery potential of 18 sites identified under WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. We delineated recovery systems comprising a source, recovery site, and support region, which need to be managed synergistically to meet these targets. By using the best available data on tiger and prey numbers, and adapting existing species recovery frameworks, we show that these sites, which currently support 165 (118–277) tigers, have the potential to harbour 585 (454–739) individuals. This would constitute a 15% increase in the global population and represent over a three-fold increase within these specific sites, on an average. However, it may not be realistic to achieve this target by 2022, since tiger recovery in 15 of these 18 sites is contingent on the initial recovery of prey populations, which is a slow process. We conclude that while sustained conservation efforts can yield significant recoveries, it is critical that we commit our resources to achieving the biologically realistic targets for these sites even if the timelines are extended.
Many large ungulate species, including the banteng ( Bos javanicus), are on the verge of extinction. Mae Wong National Park in Thailand was once a haven for banteng due to its abundance of preferred habitat, but the species was extirpated in the 1970s due to logging and hunting, before park designation. Mae Wong is connected with Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK), which retains the largest banteng population remaining in Thailand. In 2019, Mae Wong park rangers reported suspected banteng footprints near HKK. We used camera traps to verify the presence of banteng and determine their population structure and activity pattern. We observed at least nine individual bantengs (range 1–7 each month) during the 15-month survey, including three adult males, two adult females, three juveniles, and 1 calf. Solitary males and herds (up to five animals) were observed, reflecting typical social structure. Banteng were detected throughout the survey and across all seasons, suggesting a resident population. Our research confirms the return of banteng to Mae Wong after an absence of over 40 years. The banteng likely dispersed from HKK, emphasizing the importance of landscape connectivity and source sites for recovery of endangered species. Though still small, the Mae Wong population is breeding, which is significant for future population recovery. Protection, community outreach, and habitat management can help secure this population. As banteng is the preferred food of tigers, their recovery will benefit tiger conservation in Mae Wong as well.
Landscape-scale strategies for conserving wild tigers emphasize the role of core breeding populations (source sites) to replenish surrounding areas which have lost tigers. In Southeast Asia, a few potential source sites remain, particularly Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand (HKK). We investigated tiger density in two reserves (Mae Wong, Khlong Lan: MWKL) adjacent to HKK where tigers and their prey were scarce due to historic poaching but current management offered effective protection. Camera trapping revealed 10 adult tigers (four males, six females), at least two of which had immigrated from HKK. Spatially explicit tiger density was 0.359 tigers/100 km 2 , 5.6 times lower than HKK. The population was breeding, with six cubs observed. Tiger movements (measured by σ, the spatial scale parameter) were twice as extensive in MWKL as in HKK, indicative of prey scarcity in MWKL. The disparity in density between MWKL and HKK reveals that tiger recovery is a slow process when prey are scarce, even when recovery areas are apparently well-managed and connected to a source site. We review source-recovery dynamics of tigers in other sites in Asia and find that low prey impedes landscape-scale recoveries elsewhere as well.
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