TIGER CONSERVATION IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SURVIVAL AND EXTINCTION.
There are many threats to the survival of tiger populations and sub-species. There were nine sub-species of tigers. Unfortunately, over the last 80 years, three have become completely extinct. Meaning, there are none in the wild and none in captivity.
The Three EXTINCT Sub-species:
01 - Caspian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Virgata)
02 - Bali Tiger (Pantera Tigris Balica)
03 - Javan Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sondaica)
The regions that tigers inhabit are constantly under pressure from external factors. Their habitats have been destroyed, degenerated, and fragmented by human activities. There is relentless pressure across their habitats. Such as: poaching, retaliatory killings, habitat loss, & habitats overlapping with human populations. Estimations indicate that they have lost 95% of their historic range. The surviving sub-species of tigers are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by IUCN.
Remaining Six Sub-species:
01 - Bengal (Indian sub-continent)
02 - Sumatran
03 - Amur (Siberian)
04 - Malayan
05 - Amoy (South China)
06 - Indo-Chinese
Photo by Clovis Wood
Protecting the eco-systems and habitats is vital for conservation efforts to successfully support tiger populations and other wildlife. Monitoring has a crucial role to play in ensuring the continued survival and recovery of our planet’s largest cat species. This collaboration between NASA and Google Earth Engine team with researchers will use satellite imagery and data processing to monitor tiger populations and their eco-systems.
The end goal is to monitor changes with the purpose of understanding how conservation efforts can adapt to protect tiger populations. The long-term stability will allow tigers to increase their population numbers and further increase the biodiversity of habitats. As apex and keystone species, tigers play a significant role in developing and protecting habitats. Restoring and increasing the natural space for nature to reclaim will support the global stability of our planet’s interconnected biodiversity.
