For the first time in more than a century, the wild tiger populations from Russia to Vietnam look like they're starting to increase. Based on the global census, conservation groups and national governments counted approximately 3,890 tigers in these regions.
The news marks an improvement over the worldwide estimate in 2010 - around 3,200, which was the lowest ever - and supports recent research that suggests populations could double to 6,000 by 2022 with committed conservation tactics.
Despite the good news, some experts are still wary that the populations might not be rising, instead just appearing to due to the increase in effectiveness of survey methods and the number of regions that they include.
"This report shows great momentum, but I would caution people in thinking that we're on an unchangeable path toward recovery," said Luke Dollar, manager of the Big Cats Initiative for the National Geographic Society. "The stakes continue to be great and tigers remain at risk of global loss."
Regardless, if worldwide tiger populations are indeed starting to rise, it will be the first time they have done so since 1900, when more than 100,000 tigers roamed in the wild.
"More important than the absolute numbers is the trend, and we're seeing the trend going in the right direction," said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of wildlife conservation at the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
Although populations from Russia, India, Bhutan and Nepal seem to be improving, Southeast Asian countries aren't seeing such progress and do not yet conduct a tiger census on their own.
"When you have high-level political commitments, it can make all the difference," Hemley said. "When you have well protected habitat and you control the poaching, tigers will recover. That's a pretty simple formula. We know it works."
One of the biggest problems contributing to the decline of tiger populations around the world is poaching, which stems from the demand for tiger products. Much of this demand comes from China, with researchers estimating that around 7,000 tigers are currently on Chinese farms waiting to be turned into high-demand tiger products, namely traditional Asian medicines.
"That's an area that really does need attention," Hemley said, claiming the WWF is working towards identifying ways to change the behavior of consumers of these tiger products. "We're beginning to make some inroads in this area, but there's obviously still a lot to do."
Although increasing wild tiger populations to 6,000 by 2022 will be difficult, Hemley believes the current data can act as inspiration and help organizations around the world carry out conservation efforts to reach this goal.
