February 1 marks the start of the 'Year of the Tiger' in the Lunar calendar. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some 97 per cent of the world's wild tigers have been lost. Ahead of the Lunar New Year, we are taking a look back at a recent story on how the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners are restoring ecosystems and tiger populations in Bhutan.
For generations, the Royal Bengal tiger has symbolized power and prosperity in Bhutan. Wild tiger populations, however, have plummeted by 97 per cent over the past century – the IUCN Red List estimated that, in 2015, between 2150 and 3160 tigers remained. While a recent rise in the population is cause for optimism, tigers remain threatened by habitat destruction, poaching, and in Bhutan, by the conflict between humans and the big cats.
Conflict between people and animals is one of the main threats to the survival of some of the world's most emblematic species, found in a 2021 report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UNEP. Human-wildlife conflict - when struggles arise from people and animals coming into contact – could lead to people killing animals in self-defence, or as pre-emptive or retaliatory killings. Globally, conflict-related killings affect more than 75 per cent of the world's wild cat species.
In Bhutan, problems arise when tigers kill livestock, causing farmers to lose their livelihoods. UNEP's Vanishing Treasures programme is working closely with the Bhutan Tiger Centre to find peaceful solutions for the country's hardy farmers and herders of cattle and yaks, many of whom graze their animals at altitudes of up to 4,800 metres during summer.
We spoke to UNEP's Matthias Jurek, an expert on mountain ecosystems and Manager of the Vanishing Treasures programme, about their work to reduce human-wildlife conflict in Bhutan by restoring grasslands and water holes.
Human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss are driving the decline of tiger populations in Bhutan. How can this issue be tackled in a way that protects both tigers and people's livelihoods?
Matthias Jurek: There is no single prescription for the success of tiger conservation projects. Everything depends on the context in specific countries and regions. But there are some general principles. Firstly, you need government backing. Secondly, you need trustworthy and knowledgeable partners on the ground. Thirdly, local community buy-in is essential. Fourthly, you need to gather data to understand the problem. And finally, you must have financial backing which, in the case of the Vanishing Treasures Programme in Bhutan, is supplied by the Government of Luxembourg.
Since 2016, tigers have killed more than 600 cattle, with 140 killings reported last year alone in Bhutan's Trongsa District. What impact has this had on the local communities living there?
MJ: Local communities are worried about losing livestock to tiger predation and are keen to do something about it. Good quality pasture is vital for quality livestock products, incomes and livelihoods, but for a number of reasons, it is disappearing. UNEP is working closely with local communities to help resolve human-wildlife conflict through restoration activities.
2021 marked the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. Have tiger populations been impacted by the loss of habitat and if so, how could restoration help?
MJ: By restoring grasslands and remote upland water holes, local communities and our partners believe it is possible to reduce tiger predation of livestock by giving tigers more opportunities to stalk their natural prey in the areas where they usually hunt. This reduces the risk of tigers coming down the hillsides towards homesteads and villages in search of pasture, water and cattle. Clearing shrubs and bushes every 10-15 years helps maintain a balanced landscape which also includes grasslands.
How does the restoration work?
MJ: Grassland is dwindling because it is being overgrown by bushes and shrubs. One of the reasons is because fewer livestock are grazing and keeping bushes at bay, as many pastoralists have abandoned pastoralism and moved to towns in search of more lucrative employment. Climate change and intensive agriculture are further aggravating the situation.
The reduced area of grassland and overgrowth of bushes is driving human-wildlife conflict in two ways. On the one hand, as herders take their livestock up the mountains in search of pasture, the risk of predation by tigers, snow leopards, common leopards and wild dogs increases. Tigers tend to stalk and ambush their prey where they can hide among bushes, so the danger of tiger predation is greater when cattle stray into scrubland in search of fodder. On the other, there has been a decrease of wild ungulates such as sambar deer, barking deer, serow (a goat-like mammal) and wild pigs due to the loss of grasslands which they need for grazing. This means a decreased prey base for the tiger, which is why tigers are turning to livestock as a food source.
UNEP's Vanishing Treasures programme has been supporting tigers in Bhutan since 2019. What has the programme achieved so far?
MJ: The programme is supporting not only tigers but local communities and their livelihoods because we realize that the two are interdependent, and both are affected by the impacts of climate change. Grassland restoration is a community effort involving local forestry and livestock officials. Herders and farmers identify locations which were once grassland and need to be restored. Communities decide which grass species are sown in the cleared patches of land.
So far, the programme has helped restore eight hectares (20 acres) of grassland have been restored since 2019. This doesn't sound like much, but restoration is labour-intensive. Thick bushes and small trees are cleared by local volunteers who often have to walk for several hours to reach an area designated for restoration. Ultimately the aim is to restore 100 hectares. Our national partner, the Bhutan Tiger Centre, under the Department of Forests and Park Services under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan, is doing incredible work coordinating with national and local stakeholders.
What are the key takeaways with regards to raising awareness for tiger conservation?
MJ: According to the WWF, 97 per cent of the world's wild tigers have been lost since the beginning of the last century. A key lesson from UNEP's work in Bhutan is that working with local communities and knowledgeable partners, it is possible to restore degraded landscapes, reduce tiger predation of livestock, and allow humans and tigers to coexist. Furthermore, the region has great potential for ecotourism. So-called eco-trails can inform tourists – as they enjoy the beautiful Bhutanese landscapes and scenery – about the biology of the tiger and the threats it is facing in Bhutan.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade.
