As per news from KAMPHAENG PHET, Thailand; a footprint and a pile of animal scat is the spark that sets a group of rangers on a special trek through a vast forest complex in Thailand’s deep west. National Park personnel and researchers have traversed undulating dirt trails through thick and dry evergreen forest, home to black bears, elephants, tapirs, and pheasants.
The small team piled into two 4x4s pulls up to a salt lick in a small clearing, encircled by thick foliage. The artificially created mud bath has become a busy fauna junction in this part of the park for an array of animals seeking essential minerals.
Tigers are Difficult to Spot
Tigers can be difficult to spot in the wild but trap cameras are monitoring their movements in the WEFCOM (Western Forest Complex) conservation area. Distinct markings of a large feline paw in the soft soil – and various scat nearby – is evidence that both predator and prey have been using the lick. Around the trunk of an uprooted tree is a chain, attached to a metal box that houses an infrared camera. An elephant probably got curious about the light coming from the device and knocked down the tree, one researcher surmised.
Contained within it though, the officers still hope to find more proof of wildlife flocking here. Standing in the middle of the forest on his laptop, a research coordinator from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) scans through automatically detected video footage of various animals coming to feed.
Over years now of detection and monitoring like this, researchers have revealed that the tiger, a king of the jungle, is making a comeback here. Researchers and rangers continue inspecting a salt lick in Mae Wong national park.
While tigers have seen their population numbers decimated across the globe and their natural territories encroached on and converted, across Thailand’s vast protected forest areas in the country’s west and northwestern regions- the story is different.
From 2007 to 2023, the estimated number of wild tigers roaming the kingdom’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), a critical biodiversity complex encompassing 11 national parks and six wildlife sanctuaries, has more than tripled.
The 18,730 sq km complex stretching along Thailand’s border with Myanmar, the largest forest track in mainland Southeast Asia, now has 143 tigers, based on a study by the Department of National Parks and the Wildlife Conservation Society released last year.
That number rebounded to an estimated 5,574 in the wild in 2023, but tigers generally are facing multiple pressures threatening their viability in the wild.
Those include hunting, poaching, depletion of prey, infectious diseases and habitat loss and fragmentation. Overall, tigers coming closer into contact with humans can be “very negative”.
Tiger Population Rebounding in Some Areas as well as Declining in Others
While numbers have been rebounding slowly in countries such as India and Nepal, they have largely been declining in Southeast Asia, making success in the WEFCOM conservation area critical for the conservation of the species.
“Just the number, the increase in the number of tigers, is a very important measure of how successful actions have been to conserve tigers.”
While that may still seem low, it is already a remarkable success.
“Back then, there wasn’t much wildlife and it was hard to find it. After the rehabilitation, these forests have become a place of hope for the wildlife, not just the tigers.”
Overall, in Thailand, there were an estimated 179 to 223 adult tigers in the wild, the Department of National Parks reported. WEFCOM could potentially support up to 2,000 tigers given the right protection, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
They are apex predators of their domain and an umbrella species, meaning when they thrive, the rest of the local ecosystem is likely also in good health.
The benefits to humans are clear as well. Tiger conservation efforts can improve economic security for local populations, strengthen food and water systems and empower communities, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“If you can preserve them, if you can maintain them within your landscape, you’re doing pretty well,” said Regan Pairojmahakij, the climate change program lead at the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific, a nonprofit organization focusing on community forestry in Asia. Tigers have greatly reduced in population numbers over the past century.
Central to efforts from the Thai government, the Department of National Parks and various civil society groups has been a holistic and long-term approach to environmental management. Thailand has prioritized recording large areas of land for protection. At Mae Wong, it has incorporated focused research, species population monitoring, smart patrols and local information campaigns to involve local communities in the efforts
Simply having data and proper scientific monitoring has allowed experts to finally better understand the status and needs of not only tigers but the entire food chain and the supporting ecosystem.
Previous efforts to track tigers in the WEFCOM area earlier this century yielded ad-hoc results but prompted the Thai government to intensify its tiger protection and monitoring efforts.
And certainly, in Thailand, the situation for tiger conservation in some areas is extremely positive.
To wait for them to rehabilitate naturally it’s quite slow and too slow for the tigers in the area. Despite these successes, there remain friction points in the environment.
The constant pressures around land tenure and use are also factors weighing on the tiger’s future.
Right now, there are few incentives for biodiversity conservation in those places. Animal bones on a trail is a sign of tiger activity, researchers say.
“Maybe you do need, in some cases, a kind of a core protected area for certain species. Tigers are one of them that do not happily coexist with people”.
Thailand obviously does not exist in a bubble. Myanmar is right next door. Borders are porous. And the tigers don’t hold passports. Restoring ecosystems for tigers can have multiple benefits for humans and other wildlife.
Luckily, the notion of protecting tigers has proven effective for drawing much-needed financing for conservation to the region. There are few species that can draw attention like a tiger in plight.
“There are very few iconic species or issues quite as compelling as tiger conservation. So, it’s incredibly powerful. There needs to be a problem as a catalytic point to bring stakeholders together. It’s the most beautiful kind of entry point.
Eventually, officials here are aiming for a total of 15 tigers. If the landscape can support them, it means the rest of their efforts are working.
“Tigers don’t belong to one individual in Thailand, they belong to everyone. To see tigers in Thailand, to see them walk in Thai forests, is something to be proud of.” The tiger is alive here.
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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