The good news for tiger reserves and conservationists worldwide is that tiger populations have grown by 40% since the last assessment in 2015.According to the latest figures from the organization, there are now between 3,726 and 5,578 tigers in the wild worldwide. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN has published its Red List, which shows that of the 147,517 listed species, 41,459 are threatened with extinction.
The latest findings show that the 40 percent jump in the global tiger population is due to improved monitoring, which shows that there are more tigers than previously thought and that the number of tigers worldwide is increasing—either stable or increasing. “While this reassessment confirms that the tiger remains threatened on the IUCN Red List, population trends show that projects such as the IUCN Integrated Habitat Conservation Program are successful and recovery is possible if conservation efforts continue,” IUCN said in the explanation.
The organisation cites poaching, hunting, habitat fragmentation, and destruction due to increasing pressure on agriculture and human habitats as some of the main problems facing the Panthera tigris species worldwide. However, the recovery of tiger populations shows us that solving complex conservation problems is possible and within our reach. Although tigers are still threatened, their populations appear to be stable or increasing, “says Dr. Jon Paul Rodrguez, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.”
Scientists have listed the iconic orange-and-black insect as endangered due to its rapidly declining numbers. For the first time, the IUCN has added the migrating monarch butterfly to its “red list” of threatened species, categorising it as “threatened”—two steps away from extinction. The group estimates that monarch butterfly populations in North America have declined by 22% to 72% over the last 10 years, depending on the method of measurement.
In North America, millions of monarch butterflies make the longest migration of any insect known to science. After overwintering in the mountains of central Mexico, the butterflies migrate north and breed for generations along a journey of thousands of kilometers. Cubs that arrive in southern Canada begin their journey back to Mexico in late summer. The United States does not list monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act, but many environmental groups believe they should be listed. Climate change has emerged as a major threat to the species as extreme weather has killed millions of butterflies.