Response from Dr. Jeremy Anderson and Dr. Marc Stallmans to press release issued by Gus Mills on November 11th 2003
Dear Gus
We have been in China for the last month. Our brief is to survey and assess a number of areas that have been offered for the re-establishment of a free-ranging population of the South China tiger.
Your press release has caught up with us here in China. We do not pretend to be experts on tiger. However, we have considerable experience in the planning and development of Protected Areas including the re-establishment of adequate herbivore populations. Therefore, we would like to convey our perspective on the matter. This may also provide you with some information that may not have had at your disposal. We are concentrating our comments on those aspects in which we are directly involved.
- Your point on the CatSG recommendation that the re-establishment project should be fully done in China:
If there existed a suitable area with suitable facilities and expertise in China, this would obviously be the first choice. From what we have seen and from the information received from our Chinese counterparts there are no suitable areas at present;
We sit with a rather unique chicken-and-egg situation in that the areas will only become available because of the tigers rather than being able to re-introduce the tigers because of having suitable areas available.
- Your point on habitat restoration and the expense and role of South African expertise:
The field assessment has clearly shown that the habitat as such is not the critical limiting factor. The various forests and grasslands we surveyed should provide adequate habitat to tiger and their prey. However, at present prey populations are currently at too low densities to support tiger. There is a significant risk of human-tiger conflict in most areas (even within formally Protected Areas). There is virtually no relevant experience with the start-up or rehabilitation of a protected area in terms of infrastructure development such as fences, re-stocking, habitat management, monitoring, appropriate law enforcement etc. To instil this capacity and to effectively re-stock these areas will take time;
As recommended, South African expertise is indeed being applied in China;
Three groups of Chinese conservationists will visit South Africa during 2004 and several will undertake training courses. We believe that this will play a very important role in exposing them to the parallel situation experienced in which degraded farmlands and depleted game stocks had to rehabilitated;
- The question of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity:
We agree that this is of extreme concern:
The production of cubs from the 50-odd tigers in captivity in China is extremely limited. It appears that there are only two breeding populations and on average only 2 cubs become available each year. The reason for this appears most likely to be inadequate holding conditions for the tigers as well as possibly diet. Having discussed the matter locally and having evaluated a breeding centre for other species, unless there is a major change in management practices, it appears unlikely that the situation can be easily and rapidly remedied within China itself. Sufficient space is plentiful in South Africa and most importantly there is good, hands-on practical experience with large camps, fencing, appropriate feeding etc that is lacking in China. Whereas the temporary removal of individuals from China may not be appropriate in the ideal world, it certainly appears to be a short-term practical solution in the real world;
The temporary removal does not exclude these animals from the gene pool. In effect, a meta-population strategy on a trans-continental scale is being applied;
These actions should also be seen as breaking the impasse regarding poor production rates and the inevitable extinction of this breeding group if current production rates prevail;
Further increasing the production of cubs should therefore be looked at. Again, we wish to re-iterate that the current situation in China does not appear to be favourable for increased production;
Although this falls outside our brief, we feel that the rate of production of cubs could be increased outside China. We are putting some suggestions in this regard to Save the Chinese Tiger South African Trust;
- The release in the 30,000 hectare area:
As far as we know, it has never been the intention to establish a permanent free-living population of South China tiger in South Africa;
The plan is to repatriate all animals, including parent stock, to China;
In the interim, we fail to see a problem in terms of competition with our native fauna. With what indigenous species will they be competing? The area in question consists of disused sheep farms that are being rehabilitated;
Following the repatriation of the tigers the area will actually be an asset to South African conservation;
As conservationists, we fully support the notion that no free-ranging populations of alien species should be established. In this regard, we do not support the `benefits` mooted at some stage by the Varty`s of using the tiger to bring ecotourism interest to areas where conventional, South African-based, products may not yield sufficient returns.
China has been recognized as harbouring an extraordinary biodiversity. This diversity is however under very serious threat. The government has started implementing various policies to redress this problem. According to a State Forestry Administration publication made available at the World Parks Congress in Durban, the tiger fits specifically in the Wildlife Rescue Program launched for saving the 15 native species that are most endangered and whose populations are decreasing rapidly. It is planned to improve 15 established reserves of 1.69 million ha and establish 10 new reserves.
In the process of establishing suitable areas for free-ranging tiger, specific Protected Areas will be rehabilitated in terms of their former mammal diversity. Bird diversity and densities (that are presently very low) are bound to benefit from better protection and appropriate management practices. So will other animal groups as well as many plant species that are the subject of heavy collecting pressure.
Unfortunately, most if not all of the public and scientific attention is currently being focused on the the `re-wilding` project. In reality, this represents only one small facet of a much wider project. It is a means to an end, namely to re-establish free-ranging populations of the Chinese tiger in south-east China. The Chinese conservation authorities will need to look at even more areas to ensure the long-term survival of the tiger. A meta-population strategy will be required.
Having visited 7 potential release sites during the last month, and having experienced the tremendous interest and support from the Chinese local government structures and State Forestry Administration, one realises the hugely important role that the tiger can play as a catalyst to energise Chinese nature conservation in the south-east of the country and to launch appropriate eco-tourism development.
We would welcome the opportunity to inform you first-hand of the situation as we see it on our return to South Africa. We would be happy to come down to Skukuza to discuss this with you.
Kind regards
Jem and Marc
23 November 2003
Jiangxi Province, China