The nation of Nepal reported in the Year of the Tiger (2022) that it had tripled its wild tiger population through a several-years-long effort led by the Nepalese government, local communities, youth, enforcement agencies, and conservation partners. Here are the numbers:
Nepal's National Tiger and Prey Survey 2022 reported a near-tripling of the nation’s tiger population from a baseline established in 2009—an increase of over 190%.
The survey covered 18,928 square kilometers (1.892 million hectares)—about 12% of the country—and involved 16,811 days of field staff time to complete.
Nepal was faced with a decreasing tiger population estimated at 121 individuals in 2009.
The 2022 survey reported a wild tiger count in Nepal of 355 individuals.
A target to double wild tiger populations, known as Tx2, was established by tiger range governments in 2010 at the St. Petersburg International Summit on Tiger Conservation.
Part of Nepal’s comeback strategy involved “people-centered tiger conservation,” which involved such initiatives as compensating farmers for livestock lost to predatory tigers.
World Wildlife Fund-US’s Ginette Hemley noted that the previous Nepalese survey in 2018 saw a near-doubling of the wild tiger baseline population. “It is remarkable to see what twelve years of high-level political commitment, dedicated conservation action, partnership with local communities, and collaboration between the government and conservation organizations can accomplish,” she said.
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