🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Camera trap surveys identify individual tigers by comparing stripe patterns across thousands of photographs.
Way Kambas National Park in southern Sumatra covers roughly 1,300 square kilometers. While significant, this area is small relative to the historical range of Sumatran tigers. Density studies using camera traps have documented individuals living within these confined boundaries. High density can mask vulnerability, because population growth is capped by park size. When surrounding lands are converted to agriculture, dispersal options disappear. Young tigers attempting to establish new territories often encounter roads or plantations. The park becomes both sanctuary and ceiling. Carrying capacity is defined by political borders rather than ecological ones.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Protected areas are foundational to conservation, yet isolation limits long-term viability. Without connected landscapes, parks function as ecological islands. Infrastructure development around boundaries increases edge effects such as human encroachment and illegal logging. Funding must sustain anti-poaching patrols indefinitely. Even a well-managed reserve cannot expand if surrounding land values rise. The structural limitation is geographic: space itself becomes scarce.
For individual tigers, territory size determines breeding success and cub survival. When space is saturated, competition intensifies. Conflict injuries can rise as males contest limited areas. The romantic image of wilderness obscures a statistical reality: too little habitat guarantees stagnation. The species survives, but only within carefully drawn lines. Conservation success becomes a matter of square kilometers rather than abstract hope.
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