Global Wild Tiger Population Shows Significant Increase at International Forum

A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) indicates a thriving global wild tiger population, which has expanded from approximately 3,200 individuals in 2010 to an estimated 5,500 in 2024. Nations including China, Russia, India, and Nepal have notably doubled their wild tiger numbers. This information was revealed at the 2nd International Forum on the Conservation and Recovery of Tigers and Leopards taking place in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China.

Over the last ten years, the trend of declining wild tiger populations has been effectively reversed. In China, the restoration and enhancement of tiger habitats have contributed to this steady increase, as noted by Zhou Fei, the deputy director-general of the WWF Beijing Representative Office at the forum. Tigers hold a crucial role in their ecosystem as apex predators, and their health is a vital indicator of overall ecosystem well-being.

China has made substantial strides in wild tiger conservation through various measures, such as the establishment of national parks, enforcing hunting bans, and outlawing the trade and medicinal use of tiger bones. Among the key initiatives is the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, which encompasses over 1.4 million hectares in the northeastern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang. Recent figures from this park reveal the presence of about 70 wild Siberian tigers, a critically endangered species, with 20 tiger cubs born within the park during the year 2023.