Research Plan on Why Tigers Are Increasingly Becoming Endangered
Executive Summary
The conflict, which has erupted as a result of human activity and animals in their natural habitat has been one of the major issues in wildlife conservation today. The conflict has made some living species to face the threat of being endangered. Tigers are part of the animals that have been categorized as endangered, thus, facing the threat of extinction as a result of human activities and the purported significance of their body parts. The tiger is part of the large cat family that stands out as the biggest wild cat. For over a million years ago, the big cat was known to rule over a territory that stretched from eastern Turkey to North Korea in the forest that extended to the north of Siberia to the south of Bali. Numerous genus of the tiger has already been extinct. Tigers are on the edge of extinction unless sufficient actions and stratagems are put in place to save them. This research document proposes a literature on the factors that are enhancing the extinction of the tiger population. The proposed review will also include my method of data collection and other requirements.
Introduction
The overall population of tigers across the globe and specifically India has radically diminished in the past century, an aspect that is alarming. This has led to the species being categorized as endangered. In the beginning of the 20th century, the total population of tigers across the world was approximated to be 105, 000 (Woods 44). In the mid-1990s, the figure drastically reduced to below 6, 000. This was almost 95% fall in the number of the total population of tigers across the world. Currently, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the total population of the tiger has continued to fall (Woods 44). Out of the nations that still enjoy the presence of the animal, India has the largest population followed by other nations like Vietnam, former Soviet Union, Malaysia, China and Thailand.
The tiger faces several onslaughts to its existence. Firstly, the big cat is faced with the threat of poaching around its range to meet the demand for its bones and other parts. These animal parts are believed to be used in the manufacture of traditional medicine sold in global markets, especially in eastern and western nations. Furthermore, with the expansion of human population and activities in the industrial sector, tigers face extinction due to the interference with human activities. Degradation of forests and other animal habitats is among one of the major triggers of tigers’ decline in the current world. Habitat loss exposes the animal to several human dangers like exposure to humans and the prey, an aspect that makes it hard to survive.
The existing problem of the tigers being extinct calls for the dire need for wildlife management professionals as well as natural resources management policymakers to come up with conservation measures to rescue the remaining population of tigers. The purpose of this proposal will discuss the review on why the existing tiger families are facing extinction threat and why their existing habitats are not efficient for their survival. Included in this proposal are several mechanisms in which the endangered tiger species should be protected, which requires the creation of an effective animal habitat.
Objectives of the Proposal
I propose to review the available literature about the factors that are triggering the extinction of tigers using Bandipur, India as a case study in order to achieve the following results.
- Explain the common causes that leads to the extinction of the tiger.
- Discuss how these factors can be addresses in order to save the remaining population of tigers.
Proposed Review
According to Seidenstickeret al. (1), tigers, in most cases, prefer living in dense forests near mountain areas but can also adapt to other ecosystems, for instance, plain grasslands and tropical rain forests. The decrease in the numbers oftiger families is a sensitive matter that requires urgent solution through joining hands of all stakeholders. To ensure that that this is attained, it is important for the animal habitat to be protected. The natural habitats for tigersare defined by two significant elements. These are the presence of prey for their food and a sustainable and effective cover. The tiger is a big carnivorous animal, which totally relies on hunting for food. Therefore, the existence of a cover is very crucial for the animal to enable it hide from the prey when it stalks on it. Currently, the highest population of the tiger is found in India because it still has the best natural habitat for the species. There are several factors that lead to the animal being endangered.
In as much as there are numerous causes of tiger enlargement across the globe, most of the factors are associated directly or indirectly with human activity. Several anthropogenic activities have resulted in the destruction of tiger habitats by damaging their ecosystems and direct killing of the animal species in the region. Illegal hunting of the animal for several reasonsfor instance has enhanced the extinction of the tiger. Poaching tigers in order to get their skins has been used to meet the demand for rugs, wall hangings and fur coats. Currently, the focus for the poachers is to get bones and other parts of the animal that are believed to have medicinal value in the Asian and western nations. Other communities in Asia are also known to have some cultural norms that enhance the poaching of tigers to earn respect and recognition. The killing of this species has continued to occur in these communities despite several efforts by authorities to stop it. The killing has been a risk factor in endangering the existence of tigers for a long time (Tilson and Nyhus 101).
According to Smith (20), the huge demand for tiger products, especially in China, is also a contributing factor to the endangerment of the tiger species. The People’s Republic of China is among the fastest growing economy globally with an estimated population of over 1 billion people. This process has also facilitated the growth of illegal trade in the nation, commonly called the black market of China. China has been known to be one of the leading destinations for tiger products, for instance, bones, teeth and skin (Tilson and Nyhus 10). The increasing demand for tiger products has enhanced extensive poaching for the species not only in China but also in other neighboring nations, such as India, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Furthermore, other Chinese traditional medical practices believe in using the tiger parts in their production of medicines. This believe has also contributed to the endangering of the tiger species through poaching.
Joshi et al. (2) asserts that habitat loss has also enhanced the extinction of the tiger species. The tiger habitat varies from tropical rainforests and mountains regions to densely populated forests. However, due to the increased human population and activities, the demand for land and its use has been on the rise, especially in the South east region of the world where tiger species are mostly found. Therefore, man’s activities, for instance, clearing forests for cultivation of land, human living and other industrial reasons have drastically increased over the last century. The activities have exposed the tiger species as a result of the ongoing obliterations of their natural habitats, thus, causing a great danger to their existence. Besides human activity and destruction of the natural habitat, nature has also contributed to the habitat loss and alteration for the species and other living organisms. This is because nature is persistently being exposed to continues, decreased biotic veracity of habitats, such as exhaustion of resources. Therefore, this process has highly contributed to the loss of organisms. These kinds of alterations have a negative impact on the tigers, affecting their population by the time they try to adapt to new environmental habitats. All these factors play a major role in the endangerment of tigers.
According to Smith (20), slack legal frameworks in many nations that tigers are found have also contributed to the endangerment of the species. Most of these nations have established laws, which are aimed at illegalizing poaching and sale of tiger products but have a number of loopholes in terms of implementation. This has encouraged poachers to continue with their activity and smuggle the animal’s products illegally among the nations and across borders. For instance, in 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) organization was created, which involved an agreement aimed at protecting endangered flora and fauna. All nations that tigers are found were part of the signatories to CITIES. However, this has not proscribed the illegitimate trade and poaching of tigers and its parts that is ongoing. For example, in India, the guards who have been assigned the responsibility of protecting the tigers in their natural habitats go ahead to take kickbacks from wealth poachers and allow them to kill the tigers to fulfill their needs (Smith 20).
Rationale and Plan
The purpose of this update was to give the students and local residentsof Bandipur College, India an overview and opportunity to protect tigers since the diminishing rate of the species is alarming in order to ensure that the remaining population is safe.This proposal will be effective in fulfilling the expectations of the research topic and seeing that different mechanism are adopted in ensuring that the tiger does not face extinction.
Plan of Actions
In this section, I will provide my plan of getting the objectives of the proposal as seen initially. There has been an increased rates of extinction of the tiger in Bandipur region in India. This is because most of the population are not aware of this fact and have not recognized the significance of the tiger given the fact that is facing extinction. As seen in the review, several authors have voiced their concerns about that causes of the animal distinction that is significant.
The first objective of the research proposal is to explain the common causes of the tiger’s extinction. For instance, destruction of the tiger habitat by killing the species has played a significant role in its extinction. Habitat loss has remained the utmost threat to the tiger population in the region where human population and activities are increasing, thereby infringing on the tiger habitat. The question is what will remain of the tigers if the threats they are facing from human beings is as a result of ignorance and lack of knowledge among the residents persist?In order to address this facet, I would encourage public enlightenment programs to be established, which aim at educating the students and local residents on the significance of safeguarding the world biodiversity and keeping the natural habitats intact. All this information to the students can be acquired from several books and articles from the review and others available from the library. These reading materials should provide enough information to the students as well as other in order to come up with a new review in addressing the research topic.
Description of Services and Equipment
This section will present my schedule, costs and other requirements for completing the research proposal. The proposed research project that should be in form of a formal report should be completed by December, 2016. I will follow the schedule. Because I already have the literature on the research topic in Bandipur, quite a substantial amount of time will be spent on finding through the literature to get results and presenting them to the audience. Since I can get most of the information source for the literature review in the library, the costs incurred will be very minimal. This is because I will only need an amount to cater for copying of the articles, printing the reviews and binding. This can be approximately $ 20. The team will comprise of student of Bandipur College.
Conclusion
Several tigers have been extinct and the remaining ones face extinction in Bandipur region as well as across the globe. This document has proposed research to assess prevent further loss of the animal species in the region in attaining two main goals. First, to highlight the causes if tiger extinction and to ensure that the remaining species is protected from extinction. This proposal will be presented in December, 2016.
Works Cited
Fox, Mark, and Olga Fox. Discovering Endangered Animals. 2005. Internet resource.
Joshi, Anup R., et al. “Tracking changes and preventing loss in critical tiger habitat.” Science Advances 2.4 (2016): e1501675.
Seidensticker, John, Peter Jackson and Sarah Christie. Riding the Tiger: Tiger Conservation in Human-Dominated Landscapes. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Print.
Tilson, Ronald L, and Philip Nyhus. Tigers of the World: The Science, Politics and Conservation of Panthera Tigris. Burlington: Elsevier, 2010. Internet resource.
Woods, Ward. State of the Wild 2010-2011: A Global Portrait. Ed. Eva Fearn. Vol. 3. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2012.44.50.