Tiger recovery amid people and poverty

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Jhala, Yadvendradev V.; Mungi, Ninad Avinash; Gopal, Rajesh; Qureshi, Qamar
• 署名单位: Wildlife Institute of India; Aarhus University; National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India; Indian National Science Academy (INSA); Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR); National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-13023
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adk4827
• 发表日期: 2025-01-31
• 页码: 505-510
• 关键词: national-park; fate

摘要

Recovery of large yet ecologically important carnivores poses a formidable global challenge. Tiger (Panthera tigris) recovery in India, the world's most populated region, offers a distinct opportunity to evaluate the socio-ecological drivers of megafauna recovery. Tiger occupancy increased by 30% (at 2929 square kilometers per year) over the past two decades, leading to the largest global population occupying similar to 138,200 square kilometers. Tigers persistently occupied human-free, prey-rich protected areas (35,255 square kilometers) but also colonized proximal connected habitats that were shared with similar to 60 million people. Tiger absence and extinction were characterized by armed conflict, poverty, and extensive land-use changes. Sparing land for tigers enabled land sharing, provided that socioeconomic prosperity and political stability prevailed. India's tiger recovery offers cautious optimism for megafauna recovery, particularly in the Global South.