IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Nyhus, P.J.; Tilson, R. | |
| The next 20 years of tiger science, politics, and conservation | |
| 2010 Book Chapter | |
The world has changed since George Schaller and Peter Jackson first entered the land of the tiger, and we know more today about tigers and how to protect them than we did when the first edition of _Tigers of the World _was published two decades ago. Over this period, considerable effort and resources have been expended to help tigers. Unfortunately, the talent, dedication, and energy of the world's tiger experts have been overmatched by the unrelenting pressure of population and industrial growth, natural resource exploitation, and globalization transforming Asia and the world. Most wild tiger populations and their habitats have declined in quantity and quality-in some areas precipitously. At the same time, captive tiger populations outside of managed breeding programs have increased alarmingly in China and the United States. The collective conclusion of this book's preceding contributions is sobering: wild tiger populations are facing their most serious crisis since they evolved 10 million years ago and it is not unreasonable to imagine they could disappear within the next 20 years. Seidensticker et al. (Chapter 22) estimate only about 4,000 adult wild tigers remain, while Nyhus and Tilson (Chapter 8) estimate that we may have at least 13,000 captive tigers. The chapters in this volume range from the technical, unlocking the secrets of _Panthera _bones and DNA to understand what it means to be a tiger, to the eloquent, imparting a wisdom and passion that must be shared and multiplied if the tiger and its wilderness are to survive. 'Without these tiger defenders,' write Sahgal and Scarlott (Chapter 23), 'even the little of nature's munificence we see live today, would have vanished long ago.' In this closing chapter we pull out highlights of the contributed chapters to help us reflect on where we have come since the first edition was published. We conclude by synthesizing six broad themes repeatedly referenced by the authors that require attention in coming decades if we are to save Asia's last wild tigers. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |