Deforestation and Big Cats

Throughout various parts of the world, big cats are in danger. Big cats are usually referred to as any of the large members of the cat family Panthera, including the lion, tiger, leopard, and jaguar. Formally, big cats are able to roar but this definition is often expanded to include more large cats such as the cougar, clouded leopard, and cheetah [4]. With deforestation increasing, the threat to big cats is on the rise. It is vitally important to preserve endangered species, including many big cat species, as best we can because these species can affect our lives and ecosystem even when we do not realize it. If certain species die, our ecosystem could become unstable, which can have many negative effects for humans. A well-balanced ecosystem helps to purify the environment, produce clean air, and help create healthy water systems and land for agricultural production. When our ecosystem begins to become unbalanced it will start to fall apart, and when one species becomes extinct, it can cause others to go with it.

All around the planet, big cats must overcome many challenges, mainly as a result of human interference. One of the main concerns for big cats is deforestation. All across the globe, forests are rapidly being depleted. This is affecting the lives of big cats by forcing them to move to smaller, less suitable locations. Much of the time, without the support of the forest ecosystem, these big cat species do not have the resources to survive and flourish, and as a result they become endangered. We will explore how deforestation has and is affecting big cats in three different parts of the world; Far East Russia, the Amazon Forest, and the Greater Mekong Forest. We have selected these locations because of their diversity and the threats to big cats in these areas.

The destruction of Russian forests to supply timber to international markets is becoming one of the biggest threats to big cats in the region. The main cause for such deforestation in Russia is the lack of regulations and the high number of illegal logging operations. Many European countries and the US have banned the import of lumber that has not been verified to be legally harvested, but other countries such as Japan and China have not taken these steps [3]. Japan specifically, continues to buy large amounts of timber from Russia and lumber products from China, largely sourced from Russian timber. In addition to deforestation; poaching, global warming, and disease also threaten the big cat populations in Far East Russia. There are many different species of big cats that roam the forests of Far East Russia, but due to deforestation, climate change, and poaching, big cats in Russia have become increasingly endangered.

One of the most endangered species in the world is the Amur Leopard that lives in the Far East of Russia. A few years ago, the Amur Leopard population was down to around 20 leopards. In recent years the population has seen hopeful improvements, today there are around 90 Amur Leopards that live in the Russian Far East and North-East China, but this is only a start and much work is still needed. "The Amur leopard has lost 90% of its natural territory because of deforestation [1]." This deforestation is a result of frequent human-caused fires and development projects such as major gas pipelines. Amur, or Siberian, Tigers are another gravely endangered species living in the Far East Russian forests. Today, around 500 Amur remain in the wild, although this number has grown slightly in recent years. These species are endangered as a result of losing much of their forest habitat which has caused many cats to be moved into captivity.

All hope is not lost, as there are efforts to protect these endangered species in Russia. Many foundations aim to conserve and monitor the populations. Conservation programs conduct research and monitoring, build anti-poaching brigades and fire fighting teams, and hold education programs for schools. Portions of Russian forests have been labeled protected areas, but the majority of the endangered animals do not live in these areas [3]. In order for major progress to be made, a key factor is decreasing the  demand for Russian timber . Japan and other countries need to implement legislation to regulate the imports of illegally obtained timber. Reintroduction of captive tigers and leopards into the wild is a long process, but it will also benefit the population by placing these animals in less disturbed areas where they can grow. As of now, there is a sense of optimism that the number of these big cats will grow, but much work is still needed before they can achieve stable numbers.

Deforestation in the Amazon forest has been fluctuating in recent years, and more recently another upward trend has begun, meaning more forest is being lost. Since 2004, the rate of deforestation had been relatively steadily decreasing until the 2013-2015 period where there was another increase in the deforestation rates [5] [6]. Even with these increases, the rate of deforestation is still about 1/3 of what it was in 2004, but it is still very concerning for many reasons. One of the reasons that deforestation is increasing again is how the current Brazilian administration and president feel about the forest. Currently, Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, is not very concerned about the health of the forest ecosystem, and is allowing corporations and individuals to harvest the lumber in the forest with little regulation. This year has seen especially high deforestation, but more recently Bolsonaro has been called out to fight the fires and deforestation that is an ongoing problem [7]. Even though deforestation in the Amazon is not as bad as it once was, there are still many threats that it creates.

With deforestation in the Amazon increasing again, the dangers to big cats in the region is also increasing. The jaguar is the predominant big cat in the Amazon rainforest, but deforestation causing habitat loss and fragmentation, human wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trade are all very real dangers to the jaguar [8]. Because of these threats, the jaguar has seen a major decrease in habitat range in the last 100 years, shrinking by half [9]. These big cats are not near as endangered as the Amur Leopard and Tiger in Russia, but they are still classified as near threatened and their population is decreasing as they continue to lose their habitat. The other major issue that deforestation has caused is the separation of many jaguar populations. When forests are fragmented into patches, the jaguars cannot travel far to find new mates, which can result in "inbreeding and local extinctions [9]". Reducing the rates of deforestation in the Amazon is critical to keep the jaguar from becoming endangered.

With deforestation rates increasing, jaguars need even more help. There are efforts to reunite isolated populations of jaguars through  jaguar corridors . These corridors help connect jaguars but also help to reduce the amount of contact between the cats and humans. There are programs that teach ranchers and even compensate them for lost cattle due to jaguars, so they do not retaliate and kill the animal. The jaguar has protections in almost every country it's found in to prevent the sale and trade of jaguar parts which can help to stop illegal poaching of the animal. These efforts all help to conserve the jaguar population in the Amazon, but the primary concern is deforestation. Efforts to curb deforestation are of the highest priority for these cats because it will prevent them from losing even more of their habitat and resources. Protecting these cats is not just about the cats themselves but about the entire ecosystem of the Amazon, being top-predators means that by "protecting broad swaths of habitat required for their survival, a number of other sensitive species are also protected [10]." Stopping deforestation in the Amazon is not the sole responsibility of one country, but must be an international effort.

Deforestation in the Greater Mekong forests is a major threat to animals living in the region. The area risks "losing more than a third of its remaining forest cover within the next two decades. Forest loss is projected to be between 15 million and 30 million hectares by 2030 [11]." Much like the Russian Far East forests, the forests in the Greater Mekong region are the source of much illegal and unsustainable logging. Converting the forest to agricultural land has also been a major cause of reduction in forested land. Similar to deforestation in the Amazon, the threat of fragmentation of cat populations is increasing as well. Because of the immense population growth, poor law enforcement, and increased agricultural production in the region, the loss of major portions of forest in the coming years is likely. This would not only affect big cats, but many other species that rely on these forests as well.

The area covered by the forests of the Greater Mekong is the largest combined tiger habitat in the world.

"But over the last 10 years or so, numbers of this amazing feline have crashed by 70% in this part of the world [11]."

The numerous threats to tigers in this region have caused the population to severely drop. In 1998 there were around 1,200 tigers in this region, but today, there are only around 200 remaining. In the world today, there is a total of 3,890 tigers, this is down from an estimated 5,000-7,000 tigers that were alive in 1998, but still higher than the all time low of 3,200 [12]. Now, tigers in this area are forced to move into smaller habitat ranges and are being separated from other groups of tigers. In the region, almost all of the tigers in the region are located in Thailand. In  Cambodia , Vietnam, and  Laos , the tigers have become functionally extinct. In Myanmar there are some tigers, but not as many as there once were; 22 tigers were found after 10% of their habitat was surveyed [12]. In the Greater Mekong region, poaching is also a major issue, both for the tigers and their prey [14]. The countries in the region all use tiger parts for traditional medicines, among other things. With the combined threats of deforestation and poaching, the tigers face a dire situation.

In order for the tiger population to recover, changes to timber farming and agriculture are necessary. It is vital to maintain a balance between preserving the forest and using its wood for legitimate development needs. To aid the tigers in the region, conservation programs offer much support. The WWF is doing research and surveys to identify tiger habitat, prey, and population numbers [12]. They are improving habitat conditions so that both tigers and their prey populations will naturally increase. In addition, the WWF trains protected area personnel and rangers to carry out surveys, and to effectively manage protected areas. Local communities and authorities are also educated about the tigers in the region to raise awareness so communities and tigers can coexist. All of these efforts are worth while, but it is necessary to curb the rates of deforestation in order to maintain the tigers habitat.

Deforestation has long been an issue, especially in developing countries that require lots of wood to build infrastructure, and in countries that have little regulation on illegal timber farming. Trading development for environmental quality is what many of the places that face these issue have done. Places such as Brazil, Russia, and many others have chosen their economy over the environment, and this can be seen in many forms. The effect that it has had on wildlife and the ecosystems of these regions is tremendous. When forests are cut, big cats lose much of their habitat. This results in the species moving to safer areas or being poached. The problem with this is that the cat populations become fragmented and their habitat becomes smaller and smaller. When populations become fragmented they can no longer mate with other populations and this can lead to extinction. Smaller habitats also mean that there is less area for the cats to safely live in, and they are much more exposed to the impact of humans. In addition, deforestation affects the climate and can increase climate change. This can be detrimental to the wildlife because their way of life has been disturbed.

Far East Russia, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Greater Mekong forests are very different locations geographically and in terms of climate as well, but they all share common issues. All forests continue to face massive deforestation that is impacting the lives of the many species of wildlife that reside in the forests. There are efforts to stop deforestation in both far East Russia and the Amazon, but in the Greater Mekong region, we see much less push to stop deforestation. This could be mainly because the countries in this region are not as developed as Russia and Brazil, and do not have the extensive infrastructure that the other countries do. Countries in the Greater Mekong Region rely much more on agriculture and this is the major reason that they are losing so much of their forests. The degree of development that each of the countries has can also be related to environmental education. We can see less of these education efforts in many countries in the Greater Mekong region, which can be correlated to additional deforestation, although we do now see additional efforts in this region to educate communities on these issues. All three regions face issues with governmental regulations. Illegal and unreported logging is a major issue in all three places, but out of the three, Russia has the most restrictive regulations. Brazil and the Greater Mekong region both lack extensive protections for their forests.

There are a number of international organizations that have conservation programs for big cats. There are some that specialize solely on big cats, but many work with many different species of wildlife.

Big cats face many dangers from deforestation around the globe. Creating protected habitats for the big cats is one of the best ways to protect them. The only challenge with this is choosing areas that many big cats naturally inhabit and making sure that they have the resources that they need in these areas. Creating additional governmental regulations in regards to deforestation and poaching will greatly aid these big cats. Educating communities about the big cats in the area and how to coexist with them will create interest in the animals and bring more attention to conservation. Making efforts to raise awareness will lead to increased protections across the board. Essentially, the leaders of these regions have the last say in what happens, but it is possible for outside organizations to aid these countries as well, by doing many of the things listed above.