The first IUCN Green Status of Species assessment for the tiger (Panthera tigris) finds that the world's largest cat is Critically Depleted after a century of population decline, but also shows that conservation has prevented even greater losses and provides hope for recovery of tigers across their range.

Led by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in collaboration with WWF, Panthera, and other partners under the auspices of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Cat Specialist Group, the assessment is the most comprehensive evaluation yet of tiger recovery potential. It provides a new perspective on the effectiveness of conservation, measuring not only how close the species is to extinction, but how far it has progressed - or could progress - toward full ecological recovery.

Tiger Recovery possible

The assessment classified the tiger as "Critically Depleted," reflecting the severe historical and ongoing threats, including habitat loss, prey depletion, poaching, and regional extinctions. Tigers are now extinct in nine of the 24 spatial units evaluated and are threatened in all spatial units where they still persist. Although the species is considered globally Endangered under the IUCN Red List, in more than half of the spatial units where the species still occurs, the species is considered regionally Critically Endangered.

Despite this precarious state, the assessment reveals that conservation has played a decisive role in preventing even greater collapse, potentially putting the species onto the slow road to recovery. Tiger numbers have increased in the first time for more than a century, and the tiger's Conservation Legacy is rated High, showing that sustained protection efforts have significantly slowed declines and prevented the species from vanishing in up to seven spatial units. Without conservation action over the past decades, tigers would likely would have faced extinction across most of their range.

"This assessment shows that tigers, though Critically Depleted, are far from a lost cause," said Luke Hunter, Executive Director of the Big Cat Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society and lead author of the assessment. "Thanks to conservation, they have survived the worst century in their history. With renewed commitment and collaboration, they can recover across much of their range. If tigers were restored to all suitable, historic habitat, either by natural recolonization or reintroduction, there could be over 25,000 tigers living in the wild - over five times the current global population."

"Recent tiger recoveries, particularly in South Asia, inspire hope for the species, highlighting the considerable potential to boost tiger populations and restore their ecological roles," said Abishek Harihar, Director, Tiger Program at Panthera. "Nonetheless, Southeast Asia remains in crisis, with steep declines and local extinctions emphasizing ongoing threats. Recovery in Thailand's Western Forest Complex and progress in Malaysia's Central Forest landscape show that targeted efforts can halt declines and facilitate range-wide recovery."

"Tigers now occur in only 10 of the 46 countries where they once bred," adds Thomas Gray, assessment co-author and Tiger Recovery Lead for WWF. "Yet, this decline in range also represents an opportunity for conservationists to collaborate with Tiger Range Country Governments and local communities to drive tiger recovery and expand their range. This landmark assessment helps us plot a course for long-term tiger recovery across Asia."

Looking ahead, the analysis shows that the species remains heavily dependent on conservation efforts, recognizing that because tiger populations tend to recover very slowly, major changes are unlikely over the next decade. Nonetheless, concerted efforts in places like WEFCOM in Thailand, Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia, Endau Rompin and the greater Taman Negara in Malaysia, the Northeast China Tiger Leopard National Park,...