Abstract:
Habitat loss and degradation are the leading threats to the continuation of the isolated Asian tiger (Panthera tigris) population. In 2010, the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) committed to doubling wild tigers by 2022 (Tx2 goal), but monitoring changes in habitat fragmentation or quality is not generally included in species recovery plans. Here we adopted a dual-indicator landscape risk classification framework to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of disturbances in 76 tiger conservation landscapes (TCLs) between 2000 and 2020. Across the 76 landscapes, the human footprint and forest fragmentation showed a widespread and significant increasing trend over 20 years and accelerated after 2010 with growth rate increased by 0.58 % and 0.36 %. The 29 landscapes deemed most critical for the Tx2 goal did not curb habitat degradation but showed relatively lower disturbance rates. In addition, 64.39 % of the TCLs were at risk, which is consistent with current evidence and is associated with the ongoing decline of the wild tiger population. However, disturbance rates were unevenly distributed across tiger subspecies habitats, with low-disturbance landscapes offering more favourable conditions for population recovery. Especially in Southeast Asia, both tiger populations and habitats were under acute threat, with local extirpations already recorded in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Our findings underscored the urgent need to integrate habitat conditions into tiger recovery planning and offers critical insights for transboundary conservation.
Shao, Y., Su, Y., Wang, D. and Wang, T. (2026) ‘Inconsistent trends in disturbances and fragmentation of natural habitats in tiger conservation landscapes’, Journal of Environmental Management, 398, p. 128554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128554
