{"id":20483,"date":"2020-04-29T23:28:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T23:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=20483"},"modified":"2020-05-01T03:01:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T03:01:30","slug":"endangered-tigers-face-growing-threats-from-an-asian-road-building-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/endangered-tigers-face-growing-threats-from-an-asian-road-building-boom\/","title":{"rendered":"“>Endangered tigers face growing threats from an Asian road-building boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil Carter<\/a>, University of Michigan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Tigers are one of the world\u2019s most iconic wild species, but today they are endangered throughout Asia<\/a>. They once roamed across much of this region, but widespread habitat loss, prey depletion and poaching have reduced their numbers to only about 4,000 individuals<\/a>. They live in small pockets of habitat across South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Russian Far East \u2013 an area spanning 13 countries and 450,000 square miles (1,160,000 square kilometers).<\/p>\n

Today Asia is experiencing a road-building boom. To maintain economic growth, development experts estimate that the region will need to invest about US$8.4 trillion<\/a> in transportation infrastructure between 2016 and 2030.<\/p>\n

Major investment projects, such as China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative<\/a> \u2013 one of the largest infrastructure projects of all time \u2013 are fueling this growth. While roads can reduce poverty<\/a>, especially in rural areas, many of Asia\u2019s new roads also are likely to traverse regions that are home to diverse plants and animals.<\/p>\n

To protect tigers from this surge of road building, conservation scientists like me<\/a> need to know where the greatest risks are. That information, in turn, can improve road planning in the future.<\/p>\n

In a newly published study, I worked with researchers at the University of Michigan, Boise State University and the University of British Columbia to examine how existing and planned Asian roads encroach on tiger habitats<\/a>. We forecast that nearly 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers) of new roads will be built in tiger habitats by 2050, and call for bold new planning strategies that prioritize biodiversity conservation and sustainable road development across large landscapes.<\/p>\n