by At one time, tigers lived throughout the Eurasian continent, from the Caspian Sea to the Far East of Russia, south to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali.
Today, however, they live in only 10 nations, occupying a fraction of their former range.
Habitat loss is a constant threat. That’s why conservationists teamed up with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Google Earth Engine to create a new real-time monitoring system for tiger habitats.
Called “TCL 3.0” (standing for “Tiger Conservation Landscapes”), the mapping system provides tiger range countries with the information they need to identify priority areas, and monitor changes in habitat and populations, says Eric Sanderson, originally an ecologist. author of a study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science in December.
This new method of habitat modeling creates a “much more dynamic” map that will provide critical information at the same speed as decisions are made about the conversation, Sanderson says, adding that protecting the tiger’s home habitat is a win for the entire ecosystem.
“(Tiger landscapes) are also producing clean water and helping to sequester carbon,” he says. “They are supporting many, many other species, not just the ones that tigers eat. In that sense, tigers are a very good director of our relationship with the natural world.”
Real time mapping
This is not the first attempt to use satellite imagery to map tiger landscapes. The original iteration, known as the “tiger conservation unit analysis” was produced in the late 1990s, and the second, TCL 2.0, in 2006.
Previous maps were static, but with improvements in technology, conservationists saw a way to make a real-time system.
Modern mapping uses geographic information systems, known as GIS. It is a technology that interprets and visualizes spatial data, such as how landscapes have changed over time, population density, or the distance between different locations.
Satellites provide stable high-resolution images, which are used to analyze suitable landscapes from space. But this doesn’t show what’s going on under the tree canopy, so the second set of data comes from “human footprint analysis” — data collected from field surveys about the spread of urban areas and human activities. Sanderson and his co-authors collected two decades worth of research, compiling 153,000 observations from more than 500 papers with data from 2001 to 2020.
Unlike previous versions, the map can be updated when new information becomes available. For example, if a researcher in Assam, India, surveys the number of tigers in the area, they can share their findings on the web-based mapping system, generating a new version of the map.
“The only issue is getting people to collect the tiger data and then share it, so the system can show the effects on other outcomes,” says Sanderson.
The map now shows in detail the expansion or retreat of tiger territories, and exactly where surveys have been carried out, immediately highlighting data gaps. Sanderson compares it to the type of analysis commonly done with economic statistics.
“A country’s GDP tells you something when it’s measured, but it’s even more important to see how GDP is changing over time – that’s how you see economic growth or recession,” he says, adding: ” We are trying. to do this for tigers in a way that has never been done before, (for) any species.”
Restoring hope
Between 2001 and 2020, the total area of Tiger Protected Landscapes (TCLs) has declined by 11%, according to the study, potentially putting the already vulnerable population of around 3,140 individuals at risk.
But Sanderson says the biggest surprise from the research was the amount of landscape available to tigers. “I don’t think people were aware of the amount of habitat in this restored landscape category, or the amount of habitat that is actually available to unoccupied tigers,” he says.
The study identified 226 “restored landscapes” — areas where tigers could be found, but currently are not. With plenty of prey and connectivity to existing tiger habitats, the study estimates that it could increase tiger populations by 50%.
Conservationists can use the map to assess the areas with the greatest potential – for example, a restored area near existing habitat could help the population grow if it is connected by wildlife corridors or reforestation efforts, says Sanderson.
The code for the mapping system was launched earlier this year, an open source code, so “with suitable modifications, this model could be applied to other species,” he says, adding that the Society has groups Wildlife Conservation (one of the organizations that provided funding for the project). ) who are already working on similar maps for vulnerable and threatened animals, including lions, jaguars and bison.
When Sanderson started working on tiger conservation decades ago, “there were a lot of predictions that there would be no more tigers in the wild,” he says. Now, however, “we’re a long way from that, which is great.”
The mapping system shows the true potential of tiger conservation, giving it hope for the future, says Sanderson. “We can turn the corner on tiger conservation.”
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
