Protecting Wild Tigers with Stéphane Ringuet

Head of the 'Wildlife Trade' programme at WWF France, Stéphane Ringuet, PhD in Tropical Ecology (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle), is driven by science and a passion for wildlife. For 20 years, he has been working at WWF France, taking action daily to leave future generations a living planet and preserve this precious biodiversity. He tells us more about his work and his commitment to tigers.

• Could you describe the wild tiger for us? What type of habitat does it inhabit? Where is it found? Its size? Its diet?

The Tiger (Panthera tigris) is easily recognisable by its reddish-orange coat with black stripes. It is Asia's largest cat (the biggest males can exceed 3 metres in length and weigh over 300 kg) and one of the largest terrestrial carnivores. On average, tigers give birth to two to four cubs every two years and can live up to 20 years in the wild.

Strong swimmers with a love of water, tigers inhabit a wide variety of environments, including tropical forests, coniferous forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannas, and temperate forests. That being said, to survive, all tigers require dense vegetation cover, an abundance of large ungulates for food, and access to water.

Tigers are generally solitary animals. Adults maintain exclusive territories, or home ranges, which can span from several dozen to several hundred square kilometres, depending on prey availability. As a solitary hunter capable of covering 20 km in a single night, its preferred prey consists of large mammals (e.g. deer and wild boar). Although only one in ten hunts is successful, a large deer can sustain a tiger for a week.

While they once roamed across almost all of Asia, wild tigers are now found in only 13 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• What is the role of the wild tiger in our biodiversity? Why is it a species worth preserving? What is the current urgency?

The tiger is an endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This creature, which can inspire both fear and awe, is vital from an ecological, economic, and cultural standpoint and must be secured in its natural habitat. This big cat is revered, admired, and feared by millions of people across the globe. However, if it disappears from the forests, nothing will remain but ancient legends and a few captive animals. And that is simply not the world I dream of.

Indeed, let us not forget that having the chance to have (and protect) a single wild tiger means first and foremost having the chance to have (and protect) its habitat, which can span a hundred square kilometres, and therefore the chance to have (and protect) that of many other wild species in the same area ("umbrella species"). Furthermore, as an apex predator, the tiger plays a key role in maintaining the health of its ecosystem. This ecosystem provides animals and humans with fresh water, food, and many other vital services: this means that by saving tigers, we are also helping human populations who need a healthy environment. Moreover, tigers can generate economic activities (particularly related to tourism), providing alternative sources of income for local communities. In short, by protecting tigers, we protect forests – which, ultimately, benefits everyone.

And this protection of the tiger is more necessary than ever today to confront the major threats currently hanging over its survival: namely, the loss and fragmentation of its natural habitat (93% of the tiger's historical range has now disappeared) as well as poaching and illegal tiger trade (an average of 10 tigers per month are seized from illegal trade worldwide).

It is therefore urgent to maintain tiger conservation efforts, particularly by strengthening the effective management of sites that harbour tigers and their prey, as well as by combating poaching and illegal trade.

• What is the current situation of wild tigers? How many are there in 2021? Recently, reports in the press noted that the number of wild tigers had increased by 30% in four years. Could you tell us more about this progress?

In 2010, we came close to a point of no return: although no reliable estimate of the global tiger population exists, it is believed to have plummeted by 95%, from perhaps 100,000 individuals at the beginning of the 20th century to a probable and critically low figure of 3,200 individuals a decade ago (an all-time low). And let us remember that in the 1980s, three subspecies became extinct (the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers).

In April 2016, at the halfway mark between 2010 and 2022 (Year of the Tiger in China), the global estimate was close to 3,900 wild tigers, representing a 25% increase from 3,100. This increase came mainly from India, Russia, Nepal, and Bhutan, and is likely due to new areas included in national surveys, improved survey techniques, and population growth driven by conservation efforts. It is worth noting that since 2016, some countries have updated their national estimates, revising their tiger numbers upwards, as is the case for India (2,967 in 2018 compared to 2,226 in 2016) or Nepal (235 in 2019 compared to 198 in 2016). However, the situation across Southeast Asian countries remains a cause for concern. Finally, while the quantitative approach is important, the 'qualitative' approach must be as well: beyond the sheer number of tigers, it is crucial to ensure they form viable populations established across large, well-stocked, and unfragmented (or minimally fragmented) areas that allow them to sustain themselves and thrive. This is a major challenge in the face of habitat destruction and fragmentation.

In short, after hitting an all-time low in 2010, the global tiger population has been steadily increasing. The conservation efforts undertaken here have, for the first time since the early 20th century, reversed the decline in the global wild tiger population, even though continued efforts are still needed to achieve the Tx2 goal of around 6,000 tigers by 2022.

• The wild tiger is an iconic species of tea-growing regions, isn't it?

Tigers hold immense cultural value globally, nationally, and locally for a wide variety of ethnic groups, particularly across various tea-growing Asian countries. India is one of these major tea-producing nations, home to over half of the world's wild tiger population on its own. Tigers are found here in several regions, particularly in tea-growing areas, whether in the Assam region (plains situated in the north-east of the country), Darjeeling (located in north-eastern India), or Nilgiri (situated in the southern mountains of the country). The latest tiger census conducted by Indian authorities in 2018 highlights a population increase in the states of Tamil Nadu (including the Nilgiri district) and Assam from 2006 (146 tigers) to 2018 (454 tigers). Conversely, it appears that the 10 tigers recorded in 2006 in the state of West Bengal (Darjeeling) had disappeared by 2018.

I would like to emphasise, however, that tigers have remarkable resilience and that big cats are prolific breeders. Most importantly, if given the necessary space, prey, and security, the tiger can recover and retain its place as the 'king' of the Asian jungle.

• Have you led field expeditions to observe tigers? Could you tell us more?

I have had the opportunity to go into the field, particularly in certain protected areas in Nepal, India, and Bhutan. On one such occasion, I was fortunate enough to observe a tiger in the Corbett reserve (undoubtedly the Indian reserve with the highest tiger density), as it moved slowly through tall, yellowed grass; and by sheer coincidence, I witnessed this scene just after having spotted a leopard perched high in a tree a few kilometres away. More recently, I observed very fresh tiger tracks in Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, along the Indian border. These tracks were right next to elephant tracks. The eco-guards I was travelling with through the park then had me smell a patch of grass, whose scent, according to them, revealed the recent passage of a tiger. Sadly, however, I was unable to see the individual itself, one of the 30 tigers recorded in this park.

• What is your role? What actions do you take to protect this species? How do you work with WWF?

I manage a programme dedicated to wildlife protection, particularly in connection with combating poaching and illegal trade. In this role, my work is quite diverse: from designing and supporting field projects, notably in Asia (such as Indonesia and Bhutan) in collaboration with WWF field offices, to collecting, researching, and analysing data on the tiger trade (working closely with the TRAFFIC programme), mobilising private sector stakeholders who may be unwittingly involved in illegal trade, raising awareness and communicating findings from available reports, through to advocacy (following CITES meetings, for instance) and exchanging information with bodies responsible for biodiversity conservation.

• How has Tx2 already helped at its scale? What actions have been carried out?

The WWF Tiger Initiative aims to establish the necessary conditions to double the wild tiger population by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022. It was in November 2010, at the historic Tiger Summit, that this project—designed to immediately reverse the decline of wild tiger populations—garnered high-level international backing. With respect to Tx2 actions, WWF remains a major driving force, working in particular to generate political momentum to ensure tigers remain a top priority for world leaders. Its priorities also focus on professionalising wildlife protection through ranger training, establishing conservation standards (CA/TS), and deploying technology (SMART) to achieve a Zero Poaching goal. WWF also combats illegal wildlife trade through its partnership with TRAFFIC. Furthermore, it concentrates its efforts on key tiger landscapes that form the vital strongholds of the species. Finally, it ensures there is sufficient space for both tigers and the communities living alongside them (managing buffer zones around protected areas, mitigating human-wildlife conflict).

• We are all well aware: the tiger is not the only endangered animal. In your view, which extinction would represent the greatest disruption to biodiversity?

After millions of years on our planet, tigers are now endangered, epitomising humanity's overexploitation of terrestrial megafauna, particularly apex predators, but also tens of thousands of other lesser-known species. The figures speak for themselves: 27% of wild species assessed on the IUCN Red List are threatened; IPBES estimates that 1 million species face extinction (including insects in particular) in the coming decades; and the latest WWF Living Planet Report, which tracks biodiversity across 20,811 populations belonging to 4,392 vertebrate species, highlights an average decline of 68% in these populations between 1970 and 2016. In short, we are witnessing an erosion of biodiversity—that is, the wild species that compose it, but also the interactions among them (predation, associations, etc.) and with their habitat (seed dispersal, etc.). The web of life (wild species, their habitats, and their connections) forms an interconnected whole, and the loss of any single link can weaken the entire chain. Naturally, the disappearance of 'umbrella' species like the tiger can have a major impact on biodiversity. But it seems to me that habitat loss—the vital living spaces for wildlife and for many people who depend on them for their livelihoods—remains a major ongoing threat to biodiversity. This is especially true for the tiger, which currently occupies just 7% of its historical range.

• How can we take action on a small scale to preserve this species and, more broadly, to save biodiversity? How can our readers contribute?

Wherever we live, we can all contribute to saving the tiger and, more broadly, biodiversity. Supporting environmental conservation organisations (in various ways) is of course an option. But more generally, our choices—especially as responsible consumers and citizens—can make a real difference across food, transport, energy, and more. For example, let us avoid buying anything that might contain tiger derivatives (tiger poaching is driven by heavy trade in tiger parts: for instance, tiger bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and tiger skins are used for clothing), and more generally, make sure to do thorough research before purchasing wildlife specimens (parts or products), as strict regulations govern wildlife trade. When in doubt, abstain. Instead, let us buy products sourced from sustainable forestry and sustainable agriculture to fight habitat destruction. Let us favour certified products, such as FSC, which guarantees that paper or wood comes from responsibly managed forests. And above all, let us eat less meat (around a third of our individual environmental footprint is linked to food). In short, every single day, we have the power to take action! It is with this in mind that WWF notably developed the 'We Act for Good (WAG)' app, empowering everyone to take control of their consumption by making behaviour change simple—all to reduce our footprint on the planet and protect biodiversity. Over to us!

Tchai of the Tiger invites you to take action at your own level while enjoying an organic certified spiced black tea blend. For every tin purchased, we have committed to donating €1 to the Tx2 project led by the WWF to double the wild tiger population by 2022, the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.