IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Hean, S. | |
| Status of the tiger and its conservation in Cambodia | |
| 2000 Full Book | |
Following decades of political instability, Cambodia is currently undergoing rapid development and changes in land use. Although the government made important progress protecting biodiversity during the 1990s, more accurate information is urgently needed to develop a comprehensive, landscape scale tiger conservation plan. The purpose of this study was to: (1) review the brief history of biodiversity conservation in Cambodia (2) determine tiger distribution and status and (3) study the role of wildlife trade and hunting in the long term protection of this species. Information on tiger distribution, abundance and the role of hunters in wildlife trade was obtained through interviews with local hunters. I used GIS and SAS to analyze tiger distribution in relation to prey distribution, forest cover type, protected areas, forest concessions and human population centers. Trade in tiger products was studied usin,0 wildlife dealer interviews and investigations on the distribution, routes, and economics of internal and international trade. I found that tigers are still widely distributed in the forests of Cambodia and the 2 metapopulations is one of the largest in Southeast Asia. However, only 26% of tiger breeding habitat is included in the national protected area system. The remaining habitat is in forest concessions (38%) or on national lands available for human settlement. Even tigers living in protected areas are threatened by widespread illegal hunting. I visited >200 wildlife markets (7 types) and checkpoints throughout the country. Major centers of trade are located in Phnom Penh and Poipet. Price of tiger products typically increases >100-fold between hunter and sale in the non-tiger range countries. Local hunters are generally satisfied with the economic benefits of huntin,0 because profits from wildlife products make important contributions to their lifestyle. Wildlife trade proliferates despite international (CITES) and national policy because local authorities are untrained and have low salaries. Therefore, corruption is common This study documented that Cambodia still has 2 si&miticant tiger nxtapopulations but pressures from trade, hunting and forest loss are rapidly causing this population to decline. A national tiger action plan is urgently needed to (1) review the previous protected area system and identify critical new tiger habitat for inclusion, (2) develop new strategies to significantly control illeyal wildlife trade and huntine. and (3) adopt recently created community-based conservation efforts to protect tigers. Little time is left for survival of tigers in Cambodia without immediate action. |
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