China's traditional Year of the Tiger is an important node in the conservation of wild tigers.
China News Service: Guo Jia
For more than a century, human activities have pushed wild tigers to the brink of extinction. Twelve years ago, at the initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 13 tiger-distributing countries around the world launched a program called "TX2" in St. Petersburg, Russia, to double the number of wild tigers by 2022. As part of this, China has managed to return the nearly extinct Siberian tiger to its home, making it one of the countries with the clearest prospects for the recovery of wild tiger populations in the world. In this regard, what does China's governance experience have for the world? On the occasion of the Arrival of the Year of the Tiger in the Lunar Calendar, Liu Peiqi, Director of the Changchun Regional Project of the Beijing Representative Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (Switzerland), was interviewed by China News Agency", and made an interpretation of this.
The interview transcript is summarized below:
China News Service: What is the reason for the deterioration of the living conditions of this iconic species of wild tigers? What is critical?
Liu Peiqi: It is generally believed that the main factors causing the deterioration of the living conditions of wild tigers are as follows: First, the habitat area of wild tigers is constantly shrinking, habitat fragmentation and islanding are serious and the quality is also deteriorating; second, poaching activities; third, the indirect impact of human-animal conflicts on the protection of wild tigers; fourth, insufficient management capacity of natural protected areas; and fifth, wild animal diseases. I think the first two reasons are critical.
According to the "WWF TAI" (Global Tiger Survival Program), the existing tiger habitat area in the world is about 2.5 million square kilometers. This area may seem like a small area, but it is far from enough for tigers. Studies have shown that an ideal siberian tiger in the wild would require 500 square kilometers of territory. On the other hand, these habitats are fragmented and islanded, isolating tiger populations, blocking their genetic exchange and making their ability to adapt to changes in the external environment vulnerable.
Wild Bengal tiger. Courtesy of WWF
Globally, the phenomenon of land competition between man and tiger is intensifying, and in the process of forestry management and management with the main purpose of timber production, the forest stand structure of forest ecosystems is destroyed, and biodiversity and biomass decline. Among them, it has to be mentioned that a large number of plantations are planted, due to the single tree species planted, the biodiversity of the plantation is very low, which gives rise to a strange phenomenon - the habitat seems to exist, but the quality degradation is so great that it is difficult to play its normal ecological service function.
Poaching is the biggest threat to tigers worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. In 2019, our report, Silent Traps: The Nesting Crisis in Southeast Asia, showed that there are about 12.3 million traps in southeast Asia's rainforests. In this regard, China has done a relatively good job, especially since the pilot project of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, a total of more than 10,000 hunting sets have been cleaned up, the encounter rate of hunting sets has dropped by more than 95%, and the threat of poaching has been significantly reduced.
Southeast Asia's HolsterIng Crisis. Courtesy of WWF
China News Service reporter: After the "TX2" was proposed, the global wild tiger population has been significantly restored, and there are currently about 4,000, but there is still a gap between this and the 6,000 imagined by "TX2".
Liu Peiqi: Although there is a gap from the target, it has basically reversed the downward trend of tiger population, which is very rare. Tigers are at the top of the ecosystem food chain, and natural population growth rates are not high, especially with more than 95% of the world's tiger habitat lost. TX2 strengthens global attention to tiger conservation, promotes international collaboration, information and resource sharing, and contributes to a unified understanding and focused on solving pervasive conservation issues. For example, in 2019, we gathered more than 300 representatives from 19 countries such as China, Russia, Vietnam, Laos and other 19 countries and 10 international organizations in Harbin to conduct in-depth discussions on monitoring technology, population and habitat restoration, and the allocation of landscape resources in protected areas.
Tiger number trends. Courtesy of WWF
China News Service: What is the essence of wild tiger protection?
Liu Peiqi: We protect wild tigers as flagship species, which is essentially to protect the natural ecosystem on which humans and wild tigers depend for their survival. Protecting wild tigers is not only about protecting a species, but also about protecting the forest ecosystem of its habitat and the ecosystem services it derives from. Tigers, as top predators, maintain the balance of forest ecosystems by regulating the number of herbivores. Studies have shown that protecting a tiger is equivalent to protecting more than 10,000 football fields of forest, so saving tigers is also protecting natural resources and ensuring a better future for people, wildlife and the planet. Humans and wild tigers are part of the natural world, and the harmonious coexistence of the two is the proper meaning of achieving sustainable development and ecological civilization.
Schematic diagram of biodiversity structure of Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park. Picture courtesy of Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park
China News Service: The large forests of northeast China were once habitats for wild Siberian tigers, and as previously analyzed, they eventually became endangered because they could not find suitable habitats, and now they are returning, and China now has 50 of them. What do you think China's governance experience in tiger conservation has for the world?
Liu Peiqi: At present, the number of tigers in China, India, Russia, Nepal and other countries is increasing, while southeast Asian countries are generally declining. The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of wild tigers. In 2011, China released the China Wild Tiger Recovery Plan. In 2015, China banned natural forest logging. In recent years, China has continuously promoted the construction of ecological civilization, and the concept of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains" has gradually become popular, especially the establishment of the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park, which has given the Siberian tiger and other wild animals a bright future.
Scenery of Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park. Picture courtesy of Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park
Under the national park system, China has ensured that the area of wild tiger habitat will not be reduced, and on this basis, it has strengthened the management of forest ecosystems within the habitat of The Siberian tiger, and improved habitat quality and connectivity between habitats. At the same time, China has stepped up law enforcement and management, establishing a large and skilled team of rangers to provide safe shelter for wild tigers. Another major feature of China's conservation work is to carry out green development projects in the communities around the protected areas, reduce the pressure on the environment of community development, alleviate the contradictions between humans and animals, and embark on a green development path of win-win results between humans and animals.
In addition, the close cooperation between China and Russia in the field of tiger and leopard conservation is also commendable, and the two countries have signed a number of relevant documents related to the protection of cross-border Siberian tiger populations, which is of great reference significance for cross-border conservation in other parts of the world.
China News Service: WWF has rich experience in the protection of wild tigers, the Year of the Tiger has arrived, what is your and your team's vision for wild tiger conservation?
Liu Peiqi: Wild tiger conservation has always been one of the important parts of WWF's work, and we carried out this work in China as early as 2006. Together with relevant management units and local partners, we have made many efforts in monitoring the population of Siberian tigers and their prey, protecting and restoring the habitat of Siberian tigers, anti-poaching and alleviating animal-man conflict. In 2010, we released the "Study on the Potential Habitat of Siberian Tigers in Changbai Mountainous Area of China" and "Suggestions for the Conservation planning of Wild Siberian Tigers in China", which have important reference significance for the conservation of wild Siberian tigers in the past ten years. In terms of transnational conservation cooperation, we promote the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration and the Russian Leopard Land National Park Administration and the formulation of a three-year work plan (2020-2022).
Siberian tiger. Picture courtesy of Siberian Tiger and Leopard National Park
At present, the Russian wild Siberian tiger population is close to saturation, China still has at least 320 Siberian tigers to carry the vast habitat is not yet fully utilized, and China has not yet established a sustainable and stable Siberian tiger population, which is one of the hopes for the continued growth of the global tiger population. Recently I got good news that wild Siberian tigers are spreading towards Chinese mainland at a rate of 13.8 kilometers every three years.
The conservation and restoration of Siberian tiger populations is not something that can be done by one department or one organization, but is the result of joint efforts by governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses and the public. We hope to work with the Chinese government, enterprises and the public to further promote the connectivity of Siberian tiger habitats and alleviate human-animal conflicts, so that the population of Siberian tigers can achieve sustained growth.
China's traditional Year of the Tiger is an important node in the protection of wild tigers, and the second Summit of the Heads of State of the World's 13 Tiger Distribution Countries will be held in 2022 to summarize the experience and achievements of global tiger conservation in the past 12 years, and jointly formulate and release the next 12-year global wild tiger conservation plan. I firmly believe that the future protection of wild tigers will continue to move towards the goal of harmonious coexistence between man and tiger, and the grand scenery of the tiger roaring mountain forest will surely reappear.
Respondent Profiles:
Peiqi Liu is the Director of the Changchun Regional Program at the Beijing Representative Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (Switzerland). He joined WWF in 2014 and is responsible for the conservation of wild Northeast China tigers, leopards, wetlands and migratory birds, and from 2011 to 2014, he was the project manager for wild tiger conservation of the International Society for Wildlife Conservation (WCS). Engaged in conservation work for more than 20 years, adhering to the pragmatic concept of conservation, introducing scientific techniques and methods for the protection of China's Siberian tigers and leopards, he has also gone deep into the wild to complete the documentary filming of the Chinese Autumn Sand Duck, accumulated data for the protection of endangered migratory birds, and authored "Research on the Potential Habitat of the Siberian Tiger in Changbai Mountainous Area of China" and "Suggestions for the Conservation planning of wild Siberian Tigers in China".
Source: China News Service