There was a time when tigers lived throughout the Eurasian continent, from the Caspian Sea to the Russian Far East and the southern Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali.
Today, however, they live in just 10 countries, occupying a fraction of their previous range.
Habitat loss remains a constant threat. That's why conservationists have 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” (which stands for “Tiger Conservation Panoramas”), the mapping system provides countries where tigers live with the information they need to identify priority areas and monitor changes in habitat and populations, says Eric Sanderson, an ecologist and first author of a study published in Frontiers in Conservation Science in December.
This new habitat modeling method creates a “much more dynamic” map that will provide vital information at the same pace as conversational decisions are made, says Sanderson, 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 other species, not just the ones that tigers eat. In this sense, tigers are a good harbinger of our relationship with the natural world.”
Real-time mapping
This isn't the first effort to use satellite imagery to map tiger panoramas. The original iteration, called “tiger conservation unit analysis” was produced in the late 1990s, and the second, TCL 2.0, in 2006.
These previous maps were static, but with improvements in technology, conservationists saw a way to create 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 constant, high-resolution images, which are used to analyze suitable space landscapes.
But this does not show what is happening under the tree canopy, so the second layer of data comes from “human footprint analysis”, data collected in field research on the expansion of urban areas and human activities. Sanderson and his co-authors brought together two decades of research, compiling 153,000 observations from more than 500 articles containing 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, conducts research on the number of tigers in the area, he can share his results on the web-based mapping system, generating a new version of the map.
“The only problem 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 regression of tiger territories and exactly where it was surveyed and when, instantly highlighting data gaps. Sanderson compares this to the type of analysis commonly done with economic statistics.
“Your country's GDP tells us something at the time it is measured, but what is even more important is to see how GDP is changing over time. This is how we look at 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 Conservation Lands (TCLs) decreased by 11%, according to the study, and further losses could put the already vulnerable population of around 3,140 individuals at risk.
But Sanderson says the biggest surprise from the investigation was how much landscape was available to tigers.
“I don't think people were aware of how much habitat there is in this category of restoration landscape, or how much unoccupied habitat is actually available to tigers,” he says.
The study identified 226 “restoration landscapes,” areas that could host tigers but currently do not. With sufficient prey and connectivity to existing tiger habitats, the study estimates this could allow tiger populations to increase by 50%.
Conservationists can use the map to assess which areas have the most potential. For example, a restoration area near existing habitat could help the population grow if it's linked by wildlife corridors or reforestation efforts, Sanderson says.
Released earlier this year, the mapping system's code is open source, so “with appropriate modifications, this model could be applied to other species,” he says, adding that groups at the Wildlife Conservation Society (one of the organizations that provided funding for the project) are already working on similar maps for vulnerable and threatened animals, including lions, jaguars and bison.
When Sanderson began working on tiger conservation decades ago, “there were many predictions that there would no longer be tigers in the wild,” he says. Now, however, “we are very far from that, which is remarkable.”
The mapping system shows the true potential for tiger conservation, which gives him optimism for the future, says Sanderson. “We can turn the corner on tiger conservation.”
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
