Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-hgkh8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T14:17:10.061Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessing factors influencing a possible South China tiger reintroduction: a survey of international conservation professionals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2017

YIYUAN QIN
Affiliation:
Colby College – Environmental Studies Program, 5358 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, Maine 04901, USA World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, USA
PHILIP J. NYHUS*
Affiliation:
Colby College – Environmental Studies Program, 5358 Mayflower Hill, Waterville, Maine 04901, USA
*
*Correspondence: Dr Philip J. Nyhus e-mail: pjnyhus@colby.edu

Summary

Tigers are among the most at-risk large carnivores and the South China tiger is the most threatened tiger subspecies. Reintroduction programmes are one strategy to re-establishing extirpated populations. China is committed to restoring wild South China tigers, but uncertainty remains about factors constraining these efforts. The aim of this study was to query conservation and reintroduction professionals about their attitudes and concerns and to provide guidance regarding a possible tiger reintroduction effort in South Central China. We carried out a global survey of 287 scholars and practitioners involved with wildlife reintroduction and conservation. We received responses from 68 (23.7%) respondents. More than 70% supported a potential South China tiger reintroduction effort, but many expressed concerns over planning and implementation, adherence to International Union for Conservation of Nature reintroduction guidelines and elimination of underlying threats. Respondents generally believed that China has the capacity to carry out such a programme, but may not have the experience or socio-political environment to address the issues facing human populations; 62% of respondents suggested a plausible release site should be greater than 2000 km2. To our knowledge, this is the first survey related to a potential large carnivore reintroduction programme in Asia; it has implications for future reintroduction and recovery programmes in Asia and globally.

Type
Non-Thematic Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Carbyn, L.N. & Funk, S.M. (2001) Assessment of carnivore reintroductions. In: Carnivore Conservation., eds. Gittleman, J.L., Funk, S.M., Macdonald, D.W. & Wayne, R.K., pp. 241281. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Breitenmoser, U., Tilson, R. & Nyhus, P. (2006) Reintroduction of the Chinese Tiger. Cat News 44: 15.Google Scholar
Ceballoa, G., Ehrlich, P., Soberon, J., Salazar, I. & Fay, J. (2005) Global mammal conservation: what must we manage? Science 309: 603607.Google Scholar
Chapron, G., Kaczensky, P., Linnell, J.D.C., von Arx, M., Huber, D., Andrén, H., López-Bao, J.V., Adamec, M., Álvares, F., Anders, O., Balčiauskas, L., Balys, V., Bedő, P., Bego, F. et al. (2014) Recovery of large carnivores in Europe's modern human-dominated landscapes. Science 346: 15171519.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coggins, C. (2010) ‘King of the hundred beasts’: a long view of tigers in Southern China. In: Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris (Second Edition), eds. Tilson, R. & Nyhus, P.J., pp. 431438. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.Google Scholar
CSG (2009) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group – Who we are and what we do [www document]. URL http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/cat-specialist-group/20_the-catsg/home/index_en.htm Google Scholar
Cunningham, A.A. (1996) Disease risks of wildlife translocations. Conservation Biology 10: 349353.Google Scholar
Dahmer, T.D., Xiaojie, G. & Shurong, T. (2014) Camera-trapping for South China Tiger in Hupingshan National Nature Reserve, Hunan Province. Chinese Journal of Wildlife 35: 1925.Google Scholar
Fàbregas, M.C., Fosgate, G.T. & Koehler, G.M. (2015) Hunting performance of captive-born South China tigers (Panthera tigris amoyensis) on free-ranging prey and implications for their reintroduction. Biological Conservation 192: 5764.Google Scholar
Fischer, J. & Lindenmayer, D.B. (2000) An assessment of the published results of animal relocations. Biological Conservation 96: 111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frankham, R. (1995) Conservation genetics. Annual Review of Genetics 29: 305327.Google Scholar
Fuller, T.K. & Sievert, P.R. (2001) Carnivore demography and the consequences of changes in prey availability. In: Carnivore Conservation, eds. Gittleman, J.L., Funk, S.M., Macdonald, D.W. & Wayne, R.K., pp. 163178. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gratwicke, B., Mills, J., Dutton, A., Gabriel, G., Long, B., Seidensticker, J., Wright, B., Wang, Y. & Li, Z. (2008) Attitudes toward consumption and conservation of tigers in China. PLoS ONE 3: e2544.Google Scholar
Griffith, B., Scott, J.M., Carpenter, J.W. & Reed, C. (1989) Translocation as a species conservation tool – status and strategy. Science 245: 477480.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hayward, M.W. & Somers, M.J. (2009) Reintroduction of top-order predators: using science to restore one of the drivers of biodiversity. In: Reintroduction of Top-Order Predators, eds. Hayward, M.W. & Somers, M.J., pp. 19. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
IUCN/SSC (2013) Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations v 1.0. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN Species Survival Commission.Google Scholar
Jahiel, A.R. (1998) The organization of environmental protection in China. The China Quarterly 156: 757787.Google Scholar
Jule, K.R., Leaver, L.A. & Lea, S.E.G. (2008) The effects of captive experience on reintroduction survival in carnivores: a review and analysis. Biological Conservation 141: 355363.Google Scholar
Karanth, K.U. & Stith, B.M. (1999) Prey depletion as a critical determinant of tiger populations. In: Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-dominated Landscapes, eds. Seidensticker, J., Christie, S. & Jackson, P., pp. 104113. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Li, P.J. (2007) Enforcing wildlife protection in China: the legislation and political solutions. China Information 21: 71107.Google Scholar
Liu, J.G., Linderman, M., Ouyang, Z.Y., An, L., Yang, J. & Zhang, H.M. (2001) Ecological degradation in protected areas: the case of Wolong Nature Reserve for giant pandas. Science 292: 98101.Google Scholar
McLaughlin, K. (2016) Tiger land. Science 353: 744745.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nowell, K. (2010) Tiger farms and pharmacies: the central importance of China's trade policy for tiger conservation. In: Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris, eds. Tilson, R. & Nyhus, P.J., pp. 463476. San Diego, CA: Academic Press/Elsevier.Google Scholar
Nowell, K. & Jackson, P., eds. (1996) Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.Google Scholar
Nyhus, P. (2008) Panthera tigris ssp. amoyensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [www document]. URL http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15965/0 Google Scholar
Qin, Y., Nyhus, P.J., Larson, C.L., Carroll, C.J.W., Muntifering, J., Dahmer, T.D., Jun, L. & Tilson, R.L. (2015) An assessment of South China tiger reintroduction potential in Hupingshan and Houhe National Nature Reserves, China. Biological Conservation 182: 7286.Google Scholar
Reading, R.P., Clark, T.W. & Griffith, B. (1997) The influence of valuational and organizational considerations on the success of rare species translocations. Biological Conservation 79: 217225.Google Scholar
Ripple, W.J., Estes, J.A., Beschta, R.L., Wilmers, C.C., Ritchie, E.G., Hebblewhite, M., Berger, J., Elmhagen, B., Letnic, M., Nelson, M.P., Schmitz, O.J., Smith, D.W., Wallach, A.D. & Wirsing, A.J. (2014) Status and ecological effects of the world's largest carnivores. Science 343: 1241484.Google Scholar
RSG (2007) RSG Members [www document]. URL http://www.iucnsscrsg.org/index.php Google Scholar
Sankar, K., Qureshi, Q., Nigam, P., Malik, P.K., Sinha, P.R., Mehrotra, R.N., Gopal, R., Bhattacharjee, S., Mondal, K. & Gupta, S. (2010) Monitoring of reintroduced tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India: preliminary findings on home range, prey selection and food habits. Tropical Conservation Science 3: 301318.Google Scholar
Seddon, P.J., Soorae, P.S. & Launay, F. (2005) Taxonomic bias in reintroduction projects. Animal Conservation 8: 5158.Google Scholar
Sharma, C. (2005) Chinese endangered species at the brink of extinction: a critical look at the current law and policy in China. Animal Law 11: 215254.Google Scholar
Snyder, N.F.R., Derrickson, S.R., Beissinger, S.R., Wiley, J.W., Smith, T.B., Toone, W.D. & Miller, B. (1996) Limitations of captive breeding in endangered species recovery. Conservation Biology 10: 338348.Google Scholar
StataCorp (2011) Stata Statistical Software: Release 12. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP.Google Scholar
State Forestry Administration of China (1998) China Action Plan for Saving the South China Tiger. Beijing, P.R. China: State Forestry Administration.Google Scholar
State Forestry Administration of China (2010) Action Plan for Restoration of Wild Tiger Population in China. Beijing, P.R. China: State Forestry Administration.Google Scholar
Reuters, Thomson (2012) Web of Knowledge [www document]. URL http://wokinfo.com/ Google Scholar
Tilson, R., Defu, H., Muntifering, J. & Nyhus, P.J. (2004) Dramatic decline of wild South China tigers: field survey of priority tiger reserves. Oryx 38: 4047.Google Scholar
Tilson, R. & Nyhus, P.J., eds. (2010) Tigers of the World: The Biology, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris. San Diego, CA: Academic Press/Elsevier.Google Scholar
Traylor-Holzer, K., Zhong, X. & Yuzhong, Y. (2010) The struggle to save the last South China tigers. In: Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics, and Conservation of Panthera tigris, eds. Tilson, R. & Nyhus, P.J., pp. 457462. San Diego, CA: Academic Press/Elsevier.Google Scholar
Turvey, S.T. (2008) Witness to Extinction: How We Failed to Save the Yangtze River Dolphin. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Vickery, S.S. & Mason, G.J. (2003) Behavioral persistence in captive bears: implications for reintroduction. Ursus 14: 3543.Google Scholar
Wang, B. (2007) The Culture of Tiger in China. Bejing, P.R. China: Zhonghua Book Company.Google Scholar
Wikramanayake, E., Dinerstein, E., Seidensticker, J., Lumpkin, S., Pandav, B., Shrestha, M., Mishra, H., Ballou, J., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Chestin, I., Sunarto, S., Thinley, P., Thapa, K., Jiang, G., Elagupillay, S., Kafley, H., Pradhan, N.M.B., Jigme, K., Teak, S., Cutter, P., Aziz, M.A. & Than, U. (2011) A landscape-based conservation strategy to double the wild tiger population. Conservation Letters 4: 219227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yin, Y. & Traylor-Holzer, K. (2011) CAZG South China Tiger Studbook Analysis. Chongqing, P.R. China: Chongqing Zoo.Google Scholar