China builds early warning system for preventing human-tiger conflicts

HARBIN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Surveillance drones, smart infrared cameras and an integrated intelligent monitoring system -- all the equipment and technologies developed by Chinese tiger experts to protect Siberian tigers surprised Markus Radday.

At a forum, Radday, a Tiger Programme Officer of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that technologies like these help build an early warning system for preventing human-tiger conflicts and protecting both sides, which is only possible through close collaboration among scientists, institutions and enterprises.

The 2nd International Forum on Conservation and Recovery of Tiger and Leopard is being held in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province from July 28 to 31.

It includes in-depth discussions about global tiger and leopard population and habitat management, human-wildlife conflict resolution, and prey and habitat restoration.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, are mostly found in northeast China and Russia's Far East. As one of the world's most endangered species and a flagship species of the forest ecosystem, only 12 to 16 wild Siberian tigers were believed to have been living in China in 1998.

Since the 1990s, China has implemented a slew of measures to boost the population of these endangered animals and assist them in reclaiming their natural habitat. Following China's progress in Siberian tiger conservation, international scholars and organizations are now also focusing on these initiatives.

As a German who has dedicated 12 years to tiger conservation in China, Radday said the past decade has witnessed the country's success in rebuilding the Siberian tiger population and exemplary experience in encouraging harmonious human-tiger coexistence.

"China is among the five Asian countries making great progress in tiger conservation, and I believe China is a model of mitigating and preventing human-tiger conflicts with cost-effective technologies. The practice would be valuable for densely populated countries like India and Nepal, where increasing tigers have led to frequent loss of live stocks in vulnerable communities," he said.

Many tiger experts from other countries share Radday's view. Nay Myo Shwe, a researcher at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi in Thailand and Head of Wildlife at WWF-Myanmar, said exploring new solutions to human-tiger conflicts is a major challenge for China and other countries with tiger populations.

Increasing wild tiger populations also entail larger tiger territories and more potential conflicts between humans and tigers. In that case, it's vital to understand how and why the conflicts occurred in order to protect local communities and prevent future collisions, he said.

Chris Hallam, WWF Regional Wildlife Lead for Asia Pacific, said China's practice combining expertise with strong government support is key to maintaining a very healthy and extensive tiger population. Such experiences may be valuable in Southeast Asian regions where the number of tigers has declined in the past few years, he said.

As one of the 13 countries that are home to tigers, China's wild tiger population has risen since 2010. According to data from the country's Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, approximately 70 wild Siberian tigers are now living in the park, with 20 cubs born last year.

"To conserve tigers means conserving so much more, and I hope that China will play a greater role in the tigers' return to the forests," Radday said.