UN DRAGON VERT, LA CHANCE ULTIME A SAISIR
Après le point fait sur la situation des tigres sauvages dans le monde (20 Octobre), puis en extrême - orient russe (23 octobre), une idée à la fois simple et originale, martelée sur le site "4 continents pour les tigres" depuis plus de 3 ans, est plus actuelle et plus urgente à mettre en place que jamais.
A ce jour, seule Li Quan, présidente de Save China's tigers, s'est véritablement attelée à cette tâche, qui commence à porter ses fruits et être regardé d'un oeil plus attentif par des biologistes de plus en plus nombreux. Son expérience est reconnue désormais comme un modèle à suivre. Il est temps.
Voici le compte rendu de l'atelier de travail qui s'est tenu à Laohu, la réserve sud africaine où elle réapprend la vie sauvage à des tigres de Chine du Sud, publié sur son site "save china's tigers".
(Oct 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa) International wild cat scientists gathered at Laohu Valley Reserve in the Free State of South Africa mid-month to evaluate the progress of the South China
Tiger Rewilding and Reintroduction Project (hereafter abbr. SCT Project) undertaken by Save China’s Tigers (SCT), and assess its role in conserving the South China tiger (aka. Chinese tiger) in
the wild.
The “Rewilding” workshop included Dr. Peter Crawshaw of Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservacão de Mamiferos Carnivoros, Cenap/ICMBIO, Dr. Gary Koehler, Dr. Laurie Marker of Cheetah
Conservation Fund, Dr. Jim Sanderson of Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation, Dr. Nobuyuki Yamaguchi of Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences of Qatar University, and Dr. David
Smith of Minnesota University, Chinese government scientists as well as representatives of SCT.
The South China tiger is an iconic symbol in Chinese history but only a few may remain in the wild and less than 100 currently live in captivity. Some had predicted that the South China tiger
would vanish by 2010 but SCT project has brought new hope for their survival.
In 2000 Ms. Quan established SCT as a charitable foundation. SCT reached agreement with the Chinese government to transfer zoo-born South China Tigers from China to SCT’s 300 square km wildlife
reserve in South Africa (known as Laohu Valley Reserve) to breed and rewild them. The goal is to prepare tigers born in captivity for introduction to wild habitat in China where tigers once
lived. South Africa was chosen as a springboard thanks to its leadership in wildlife management, readily available land, and abundant game. SCT has also been working with the Chinese government
to identify suitable for the establishment of pilot reserves in China. These reserves will provide a large protected wilderness environment for the reintroduced tigers, as well as other wildlife
in the ecological chain.
Starting 2003, the project acquired four studbook registered South China tiger cubs. These cubs, familiar only with concrete box display cages, were initially reluctant to leave the concrete pad
adjacent to the gate of their new natural enclosure in South Africa. Their paws had never touched grass. They underwent rewilding training after their arrival and since 2007, eight tiger cubs
were born in Laohu Valley Reserve, five survived and learned to hunt like their parents.
Results of the workshop confirmed the important role of the South China Tiger Rewilding Project in tiger conservation. “Having seen the tigers hunting in an
open environment at Laohu Valley Reserve, I believe that these rewilded tigers have the skill to hunt in any environment. We need to use an adaptive learning process when tigers are introduced in
China so one strategy might be to release two at a time. Often when you do a reintroduction you may have to repeat the action in order to be successful. SCT should not give up even if the first
reintroduction is not successful,” Dr. David Smith remarked.
“In addition, SCT has also done a remarkable job in recovering habitat for South African wildlife. The workshop’s conclusion is timely given the continuing decline of wild tiger populations and
their habitat. The initiatives undertaken at Laohu Valley Reserve may represent a model for the conservation of other carnivores and their habitats”, Dr.
Peter Crawshaw added.
In a just released report, Walston et al. (“Bringing the Tiger Back from the Brink- The Six Percent Solution” Sept 2010) stated, “Despite a long history of concern for wild tigers, both their
range and total number have collapsed: fewer than 3,500 animals now live in the wild, occupying less than 7% of their historical range. “While the report concludes that tiger conservation must
focus first and foremost on protecting 42 sites that contain almost 70% of all remaining wild tigers, the authors acknowledge that “this is but one element
of a long-term recovery strategy”. Li Quan, Founding Director of SCT agrees, “It is essential that we protect the core areas identified by Walston et al. (2010), but given that no source site was
identified in China, an alternative strategy must be applied for South China tiger conservation. It is especially so considering the South China tiger is the only extant subspecies without any
source site. This is where ‘Rewilding’ can play an important role. “
I am concerned that the remaining tiger populations outside the source sites will disappear and their habitat will be lost forever. It’s time to restore the habitat for the wellbeing of both
tigers and humans. We have already lost too much, and we must regain some of what we have lost. Accepting the status quo is unacceptable,” said Dr. Jim Sanderson. “SCT offers an additional
strategy to increase the number of wild tigers and their habitat.”
“If we accept the constant erosion of nature, probably there is no realistic chance to conserve large terrestrial carnivores,” added Dr. Nobby
Yamaguchi (personal friend of Li Quan, Nobby Yamaguchi was involved in Oxford University study 2008 about caspian and siberan tiger as a single animal branch. Noted by Alain
Sennepin).
“Conservation of tigers requires creative strategies. Saving core areas must be a priority, and the rewilding project can help assure that non-core areas are
included in the world’s conservation effort”, concluded Dr. Gary Koehler who assessed the status of the wild populations of South China tigers in the early 1990s.
Mr. Lu Jun, representative of the Chinese government to the South China Tiger Reintroduction Project, affirms “The South China tiger is only found in China and the Chinese government is committed
to re-establishing viable populations of this subspecies in the wild. China has already taken actions to save the South China tiger and restore its habitat, and will continue to do so in the
future.”
