Bringing the Tiger Back from the Brink—The Six Percent Solution

Walston, Joe; Robinson, John G.; Bennett, Elizabeth L.; Breitenmoser, Urs; Fonseca, Gustavo; Goodrich, John M.; Gumal, Melvin; Hunter, Luke; Johnson, Arlyne; Karanth, K. Ullas; Leader‐Williams, Nigel; MacKinnon, Kathy; Miquelle, Dale G.; Pattanavibool, Anak; Poole, Colin M.; Rabinowitz, Alan; Smith, James L.; Stokes, Emma J.; Stuart, Simon N.; Vongkhamheng, Chanthavy; Wibisono, Hariyo T.

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000485

Cited by 282 publications

(310 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The model's large population represents the size of five of the largest remaining tiger populations (e.g. Russian Far East, Indonesia, Tenasserim on the Thailand/Burma border, Sundarbans, Nargarhole and Kerinci Seblat) [8].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tigers now occupy only 7.1% of their historical range [5]. Following the end of World War II, the decline of tiger habitat accelerated and, by 1965, the distribution of remaining patches of tiger habitat across Asia had become highly fragmented [6][7][8], resulting in small, highly structured populations [9]. Tiger dispersal patterns and recent configurations of habitat fragmentation based on Thematic Mapper data from 1972 show that the current degree of isolation of tiger habitat patches dates to the early 1970s [7,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tiger dispersal patterns and recent configurations of habitat fragmentation based on Thematic Mapper data from 1972 show that the current degree of isolation of tiger habitat patches dates to the early 1970s [7,10]. Currently, all extant wild populations are estimated to consist of fewer than 100 breeding tigers that are restricted to isolated patches of suitable habitat, mostly in protected areas [7,8]. In combination with a reduction in the amount of habitat, overhunting of tiger prey has reduced carrying capacity of much of the remaining tiger habitat [3,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How much gene flow is needed to avoid inbreeding depression in wild tiger populations?

et al. 2014

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The number and size of tiger populations continue to decline owing to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and poaching of tigers and their prey. As a result, tiger populations have become small and highly structured. Current populations have been isolated since the early 1970s or for approximately seven generations. The objective of this study is to explore how inbreeding may be affecting the persistence of remaining tiger populations and how dispersal, either natural or artificial, may reduce the potentially detrimental effect of inbreeding depression. We developed a tiger simulation model and used published levels of genetic load in mammals to simulate inbreeding depression. Following a 50 year period of population isolation, we introduced one to four dispersing male tigers per generation to explore how gene flow from nearby populations may reduce the negative impact of inbreeding depression. For the smallest populations, even four dispersing male tigers per generation did not increase population viability, and the likelihood of extinction is more than 90% within 30 years. Unless habitat connectivity is restored or animals are artificially introduced in the next 70 years, medium size wild populations are also likely to go extinct, with only four to five of the largest wild tiger populations likely to remain extant in this same period without intervention. To reduce the risk of local extinction, habitat connectivity must be pursued concurrently with efforts to increase population size (e.g. enhance habitat quality, increase habitat availability). It is critical that infrastructure development, dam construction and other similar projects are planned appropriately so that they do not erode the extent or quality of habitat for these populations so that they can truly serve as future source populations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How much gene flow is needed to avoid inbreeding depression in wild tiger populations?

et al. 2014

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“…A recent study of tigers in Chitwan, Nepal (1) stirred controversy by challenging the "source-sink" approach that underlies current global tiger conservation strategies (2). The observed lack of difference in tiger density estimates inside the protected area compared with a multiple-use area outside is offered as evidence.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sinks as saviors: Why flawed inference cannot assist tiger recovery

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Most ecological studies on tigers have been within PAs [9][10][11][12], and there is little information about how tigers behave in human-dominated landscapes. This knowledge is scarce but increasingly important, given that most source sites are embedded in larger human-dominated landscapes [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and Activity Pattern of a Collared Tigress in a Human-Dominated Landscape in Central India

Athreya

Navya

Punjabi

et al. 2014

Tropical Conservation Science

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Tigers (Panthera tigris) are wide-ranging species, and a permeable landscape matrix outside Protected Areas (PAs) is extremely important for their dispersal. A tigress which had fallen in a water duct in the Nagpur district was rescued by the Forest Department on 12 th October, 2011 and released on 27 th November, 2011 in a forest adjacent to the site of capture. A GPS-GSM collar that we fitted on her indicated that she remained in the same forest area until 25 th December, 2011, and then moved eastwards into a human-dominated landscape where she was present until 25 th March, 2012, after which the GPS battery ceased to function. She moved a minimum distance of 454.65 km from the time of her release up to 25 th March, 2012, using a total area of 726 km 2 (95% MCP), but between 30 th December, 2011 and 25 th March, 2012, after moving into the human-dominated forestagricultural landscape her home range was 431 km 2 (95% MCP). Her home range also encompassed villages, roads and croplands. Her activity was largely nocturnal and she rested in dense foliage inside forest patches during the day. About half of all the prey items that we identified during this period (n = 12) were wild pigs (Sus scrofa). Although, she was present very close to areas where humans were active in the day, no untoward incident occurred. She was photographed in April 2013, a year after the collar stopped functioning, in the same region about 40 km from the release site, indicating that she is still present in the human-dominated area. Very little is known about tiger ecology, and their temporal and spatial patterns of movement, outside PAs. These areas will be crucial in terms of dispersal between PAs as well as sensitive in terms of conflict.

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Bringing the Tiger Back from the Brink—The Six Percent Solution

Cited by 282 publications

References 8 publications

How much gene flow is needed to avoid inbreeding depression in wild tiger populations?

How much gene flow is needed to avoid inbreeding depression in wild tiger populations?

Sinks as saviors: Why flawed inference cannot assist tiger recovery

Movement and Activity Pattern of a Collared Tigress in a Human-Dominated Landscape in Central India

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