Tigre

Scientific name:

Panthera tigris

Threat level:

Endangered

Authority:

Mazak, 1968

Version:

3.1

Year assessed:

2008

Assessor(s):

Chundawat, R.S., Habib, B., Karanth, U., Kawanishi, K., Ahmad Khan, J., Lynam, T., Miquelle, D., Nyhus, P., Sunarto, Tilson, R. & Sonam Wang

Evaluator(s):

Nowell, K., Breitenmoser-Wursten, C., Breitenmoser, U. (Cat Red List Authority) & Schipper, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:

Listed as Endangered under A2bcd+4bcd. Sanderson et al. (2006) built upon previous work by Dinerstein et al. (1997) to map priority landscapes for tigers (Tiger Conservation Landscapes). The tiger's extent of occupied area is estimated at less than 1,184,911 km² (Sanderson et al. 2006), a 41% decline from the area estimated by Dinerstein et al. (1997). India suffered the most range contraction. While part of the difference is due to improved data after a decade of intensive tiger conservation efforts, and improved datasets and techniques, biologists consider the primary cause to be declines due to poaching and habitat loss (Dinerstein et al. 2007). Range decline is considered a strong indicator of population decline (Dinerstein et al. 2007). Because an average of 55% of Tiger Conservation Landscapes consists of non-tiger habitat (Sanderson et al., 2006), the declines in population and area of occupancy are greater than the 41% estimated, and thus likely indicate a 50% or greater reduction, especially when measured over three tiger generations (21-27 years). The declining trend is likely to persist in the near future. The causes of population reduction may not be reversible in some areas.

Also listed under C1+2a(i). Few tiger populations have been estimated with confidence, but compiling national population estimates results in a global population of 3,402-5,140 adults (see section Population for details). IUCN Guidelines (IUCN 2006) define population as the number of mature individuals, defined as “individuals known, estimated or inferred to be capable of reproduction.” While in general this refers to all reproductive-age adults in the population, the Guidelines also “stress that the intention of the definition of mature individuals is to allow the estimate of the number of mature individuals to take account of all the factors that may make a taxon more vulnerable than otherwise might be expected.” Two factors which increase the tiger's vulnerability to extinction are their low densities (relative to other mammals, including their prey species) and relatively low recruitment rates (where few animals raise offspring which survive to join the breeding population) (Smith and McDougal 1991, Kerley et al. 2003). Low densities means that relatively large areas are required for conservation of viable populations; it has long been recognized that many protected areas are too small to conserve viable tiger populations (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Dinerstein et al. 1997, Sanderson et al. 2006). Low recruitment rates also require larger populations and larger areas to conserve viable populations, as well as mortality reduction in non-protected areas to maintain population size through connectivity (Carroll and Miquelle 2006). High mortality rates can be offset by an abundant prey base (Karanth et al. 2006), but prey base depletion was considered a leading threat to tigers across much of their range (Sanderson et al. 2006). The IUCN Guidelines advise that “mature individuals that will never produce new recruits should not be counted.” Low recruitment rates indicate that fewer adults than would be expected produce new recruits. Defining population size as the total estimated number of reproductive age adults in the taxon would also not take into account that many occur in subpopulations which are too small or too threatened for long-term viability. Instead, the number of mature individuals is defined as equivalent to the estimated effective population size.

Effective population size (Ne) is an estimator of the genetic size of the population, and is generally considered representative of the proportion of the total adult population (N) which reproduces itself through offspring which themselves survive and reproduce. Thus, the tiger's population size as the number of reproductive age adults would not take into account that many occur in populations which are too small for long-term viability. Instead, the number of mature individuals is defined as equivalent to the estimated effective population size. Effective population size (Ne) is an estimator of the genetic size of the population, and is generally considered representative of the proportion of the total adult population (N) which reproduces itself through offspring which themselves survive and reproduce. Ne is usually smaller than N, as has been documented for the tiger. The effective population size of tigers in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park was equivalent to just 40% of the actual adult population (Smith and McDougal 1991). Therefore, the number of viable mature tiger individuals is projected to be 40% of the total estimated population, in the range 1,361-2,056, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 250.

The number of locations is the 76 Tiger Conservation Landscapes (major tiger subpopulations). There are an additional 543 Fragments with Tigers - areas of habitat with confirmed tiger presence, but considered too small to support a long-term population. Potential tiger occurrence is captured in the 491 Tiger Survey Landscapes - areas where tiger status is unknown, but where there is some reason to believe tigers might still be present, and which are large enough to support at least five tigers (Sanderson et al. 2006).

Geographic ranges:

• Bangladesh (Native)
• Bhutan (Native)
• Cambodia (Native)
• China (Native)
• India (Native)
• Indonesia (Native)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic (Native)
• Malaysia (Native)
• Myanmar (Native)
• Nepal (Native)
• Russian Federation (Native)
• Thailand (Native)
• Vietnam (Native)
• Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of (Possibly extinct)
• Afghanistan (Regionally extinct)
• Iran, Islamic Republic Of (Regionally extinct)
• Kazakhstan (Regionally extinct)
• Kyrgyzstan (Regionally extinct)
• Pakistan (Regionally extinct)
• Singapore (Regionally extinct)
• Tajikistan (Regionally extinct)
• Turkey (Regionally extinct)
• Turkmenistan (Regionally extinct)
• Uzbekistan (Regionally extinct)

Population trend:

Decreasing

Ecosystems

• Terrestrial

List of habitats:

• Forest
• Temperate
• Subtropical/Tropical Dry
• Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland
• Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level
• Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
• Shrubland
• Subtropical/Tropical Dry
• Subtropical/Tropical Moist
• Grassland
• Subtropical/Tropical Dry
• Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded

List of threats:

• Residential & commercial development
• Housing & urban areas
• Commercial & industrial areas
• Tourism & recreation areas
• Agriculture & aquaculture
• Annual & perennial non-timber crops
• Shifting agriculture
• Small-holder farming
• Agro-industry farming
• Scale Unknown/Unrecorded
• Wood & pulp plantations
• Small-holder plantations
• Agro-industry plantations
• Livestock farming & ranching
• Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming
• Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming
• Energy production & mining
• Mining & quarrying
• Biological resource use
• Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals
• Unintentional effects (species is not the target)
• Human intrusions & disturbance
• Recreational activities
• War, civil unrest & military exercises
• Natural system modifications
• Fire & fire suppression
• Trend Unknown/Unrecorded
• Dams & water management/use
• Dams (size unknown)
• Invasive & other problematic species & genes
• Problematic native species

List of conservation actions:

• Land/water protection
• Site/area protection
• Resource & habitat protection
• Land/water management
• Site/area management
• Habitat & natural process restoration
• Species management
• Species management
• Harvest management
• Trade management
• Species recovery
• Species re-introduction
• Reintroduction
• Ex-situ conservation
• Captive breeding/artificial propagation
• Genome resource bank
• Education & awareness
• Formal education
• Training
• Awareness & communications
• Law & policy
• Legislation
• International level
• National level
• Sub-national level
• Livelihood, economic & other incentives
• Linked enterprises & livelihood alternatives