Let's protect wild tigers with Stéphane Ringuet | Kusmi Tea

On the occasion of this 100% committed collaboration, we are going to meet a man particularly involved in the conservation of endangered wild species: Stéphane Ringuet.

Responsible for the “Wildlife Trade” program at WWF France, Stéphane Ringuet, Dr. in tropical ecology (National Museum of Natural History) is a man interested in science and passionate about wild species. For 20 years, he has worked at WWF France and acts on a daily basis to offer future generations a living planet while preserving this precious biodiversity. He tells us more about his work and his commitment to tigers.

• Can you describe the wild tiger to us? What type of space does it operate in? Where is it found? His size? His diet?

The Tiger (Panthera tigris) is easily recognizable by its red fur striped with black. It is the largest feline in Asia (the largest males can measure more than 3 m and 300 kg) and one of the largest terrestrial carnivores. On average, tigers give birth to two to four cubs every two years, and can survive to be 20 years old in the wild.

Great swimmers, loving water, tigers frequent a wide variety of habitats such as tropical forests, coniferous forests, mangroves, meadows, savannahs and temperate forests. However, to survive, all tigers need dense vegetation, the presence of large ungulates to feed on, and access to water.

Tigers are generally solitary. Adults maintain exclusive territories, or home ranges, which can extend from a few dozen to several hundred km2, depending on the abundance of prey. Solitary hunter, able to travel 20 km in one night, his favorite prey are large mammals (e.g. deer and wild boar). If only one hunt in ten is successful, a large deer can provide a tiger with a week's worth of food.

Although they once existed in almost all of Asia, wild tigers are now only present in 13 countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Sumatra), the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

• What is the role of the wild tiger in our biodiversity? Why is this a species to be preserved? What is the emergency right now?

The tiger is an endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This species, which can scare us and/or amaze us, is important from an ecological, economic and cultural point of view and must be secure in its natural environment. This big cat is revered, admired and feared by millions of people around the world. However, if it disappears from the forests, all that will remain are ancient legends and a few animals in captivity. And it's honestly not the world I dream of.

Indeed, let us not forget that to be lucky enough to have (and protect) a single wild tiger is first of all to have the chance to have (and protect) its habitat which can extend over a hundred km2, and therefore the chance to have (and protect) that of many other wild species in the same area ("umbrella species"). On the other hand, as a large predator, the tiger plays a key role in maintaining the good health of its ecosystem. This ecosystem provides animals and humans with fresh water, food, and much more vital services : this means that by saving tigers, we are also helping human populations who need a healthy environment. In addition, tigers can generate economic activities (particularly linked to tourism), providing alternative sources of income for local communities. In short, by protecting tigers, we protect forests – which ultimately benefits everyone.

And this protection of the tiger is today more than necessary to face the major current threats weighing on its survival, namely the disappearance and fragmentation of its natural habitat (93% of the historic habitat of the tiger has now disappeared) and poaching and illegal trade in tigers (10 tigers per month are seized on average for illegal trade in the world).

It is therefore urgent to maintain tiger conservation actions, notably through strengthening the efficiency of the management of sites hosting tigers and their prey, but also by fighting against poaching and illegal trade.

• What is the current situation of wild tigers? How many are there in 2021? Recently, we read in the press that the number of wild tigers had increased by 30% in four years. Can you tell us more about this progress?

In 2010, we approached a point of no return: Although there is no reliable estimate of the global tiger population, it is believed to have declined by 95%, from perhaps 100,000 individuals at the start of the 20th century to the probable and very low figure of 3,200 individuals 10 years ago (historic low). And remember that in the 1980s, three subspecies disappeared (the Bali, Java and Caspian tigers).

In April 2016, halfway between 2010 and 2022 (China's Year of the Tiger), the overall estimate was close to 3,900 wild tigers, an increase of 25% since 3100. This increase comes mainly from India, Russia, Nepal and Bhutan and is likely due to new areas included in national surveys, improved survey techniques as well as population growth due to conservation efforts. It should be noted that since 2016, some countries have updated their national estimates, increasing their number of tigers, as is the case for India (2967 in 2018 compared to 2226 in 2016) or Nepal (235 in 2019 compared to 198 in 2016). However, the situation in Southeast Asian countries still remains worrying. Finally, if the quantitative approach is important, the “qualitative” approach must also be, namely that beyond the number of tigers, it is important to ensure that they form viable populations installed in large spaces that are not/slightly fragmented and full of game, allowing them to maintain and develop. This is an important issue in the face of the destruction and fragmentation of their habitats.

In short, after reaching a historic low in 2010, the global tiger population is steadily increasing. The conservation efforts undertaken here have for the first time made it possible to reverse the decline in the global tiger population since the beginning of the 20th century, even if there is still work to be done to achieve the Tx2 objective, or around 6,000 tigers in 2022.

• The wild tiger is an emblematic species of tea-producing regions. Isn't it?

Tigers have immense cultural value at global, national and local levels and for a multitude of ethnic groups, particularly in various tea-producing Asian countries. India is one of the main tea-producing countries, home to more than half of the world's wild tiger population. Tigers are present here in different regions, notably in tea-producing regions, whether the region of Assam (plains located in the northeast of the country), Darjeeling (located in the northeast of India) or even Nilgiri (located in the mountains in the south of the country). The latest tiger census by Indian authorities in 2018 highlights an increase in the tiger population in the states of Tamil Nadu (including the Nilgiri district) and Assam from 2006 (146 tigers) to 2018 (454 tigers). On the other hand, it seems that the 10 tigers present in 2006 in the state of West Bengal (Darjeeling) disappeared in 2018.

However, I would like to point out that the abilities of tigers can be significant, and that big cats are prolific. The most important thing is that if given the necessary space, prey and security, the tiger can recover and maintain its place as the “king” of the Asian jungle.

• Have you led field expeditions to observe tigers? Can you tell us more?

I had the opportunity to go into the field, particularly in certain protected areas in Nepal, India and Bhutan. On this occasion, I was lucky enough to be able to observe a tiger in the Corbett reserve (without doubt the most abundant Indian reserve in tigers), while it was moving slowly in tall yellowed grass; and by chance, I witnessed this scene just after having been able to observe, a few kilometers away, a leopard perched at the top of a tree. More recently, I observed very fresh tiger tracks in the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, on the Indian border. These tracks were right next to elephant tracks. The eco-guards, with whom I was traveling in the park, then made me smell some grass, the smell of which, according to them, betrayed the recent passage of a tiger. But, unfortunately, I was not able to see the specimen, one of the 30 tigers recorded in this park.

• What is your role? What are your actions to preserve this species? How do you intervene with the WWF?

I am responsible for a program relating to the protection of wild species, particularly in relation to the fight against their poaching and illegal trade. In this context, my actions are quite diverse, ranging from setting up and supporting projects on the ground, particularly in Asia (Indonesia and Bhutan, for example) in conjunction with WWF offices in the field, to the collection, research and analysis of information on the tiger trade (particularly working with the TRAFFIC program), to the mobilization of private sector actors who may be involved (despite themselves) in illegal trade, to awareness-raising and communication of the results of available reports, or even to advocacy (monitoring of meetings on CITES for example) and the exchange of information with organizations responsible for protecting biodiversity.

• How has the tx2 already been able to help on its scale? What actions were taken?

WWF's Tiger Conservation Initiative seeks to create the conditions necessary for the wild tiger population to double by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022. It was in November 2010, at the historic Tiger Summit, that this project, which aims to immediately reverse the trend of declining wild tiger populations, received high-level international support. When it comes to Tx2 actions, WWF remains a major driving force, working in particular to drive political momentum to ensure tigers remain a top priority for world leaders. Its priorities also focus on the professionalization of the protection of wild species through the training of rangers, the development of conservation standards (CA/TS) and technologies (SMART) to achieve a Zero Poaching objective. WWF also combats illegal wildlife trade through its partnership with TRAFFIC. On the other hand, it focuses its efforts on key tiger landscapes where the essential strongholds of the species are located. Finally, it ensures that there are sufficient spaces for both people who live near tigers and tigers (questions of management of areas peripheral to protected areas, mitigation of conflicts).

• We are all aware of this: the tiger is not the only endangered animal. In your opinion, which disappearance represents the greatest upheaval in biodiversity?

After several million years of existence on our planet, tigers are today threatened, embodying the overexploitation by humans of terrestrial megafauna, in particular large predators, but also of tens of thousands of other lesser-known species. The figures are there: 27% of wild species assessed in the IUCN red list are threatened; IPBES estimates that 1 million species are threatened with extinction (including insects in particular) in the coming decades; and the latest WWF Living Planet Report, which measures biodiversity based on the monitoring of 20,811 populations belonging to 4,392 vertebrate species, highlights an average decline in these populations of 68% from 1970 to 2016. In short, we are witnessing an erosion of biodiversity, that is to say of the wild species that compose it, but through them of the relationships that they maintain between them (predation, associations, etc.) and with their habitat (dispersal of seeds, etc.). The chain of life (wild species and their habitats, and their links) forms a whole, and the disappearance of one of these elements can weaken this chain. Obviously, the disappearance of “umbrella” species like the tiger can have a significant impact on biodiversity. But it seems to me that the disappearance of habitats, essential living spaces for wild species and the many people who depend on them for their livelihoods, remains a very significant current threat to biodiversity. This is particularly true for the tiger which currently lives in 7% of its historic habitat.

• How on a small scale can we commit to preserving this species and more broadly to saving biodiversity? How can our readers contribute?

Wherever we live, we can all contribute to saving the tiger and, more broadly, biodiversity. Support for environmental protection associations (in different forms) is of course possible. But more generally, our choices, particularly as consumers or responsible citizens, can make a difference in terms of food, transport, energy, etc. For example, let's not buy anything that may contain tiger products (tiger poaching aims to satisfy the important trade of its parts : for example, its bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and its skin is used to make clothing) and in general, find out carefully before purchasing specimens (parts or products) of wild species (regulations exist regarding the trade in wildlife). When in doubt, abstain. Instead, let's buy products from sustainable forestry and sustainable agriculture to fight against the destruction of habitats. Let us favor labeled/certified products, such as the FSC which guarantees that the paper or wood used comes from well-managed forests. And above all, let's eat less meat (around a third of our individual impact on the environment is linked to food). In short, every day, we have the power to act! It is on this observation that the WWF has notably developed an application “We Act for Good (WAG)” which gives everyone back power over their consumption by simplifying behavior change – and this to reduce our footprint on the planet to protect biodiversity. It’s up to us to play!

Tchai of the Tiger invites you to get involved on your own scale while enjoying a certified organic spiced black tea recipe. For every box purchased, we have committed to donating €1 to the Tx2 project led by the WFF to double the population of wild tigers by 2022, the year of the tiger in Chinese astrology.