Tiger conservation and protection has prevented massive deforestation in India. More than one million tonnes of carbon emissions have been avoided. A study published Thursday in Nature Ecology and Evolution found a significant link between tiger conservation and reduction in carbon emissions.
According to the researchers who conducted the study, more than three-quarters of deforestation occurred outside protected areas. Between 2001 and 2020, more than 61 thousand hectares of forest were destroyed in more than 160 different forest areas. Protecting tigers means protecting their habitat, and this habitat naturally stores a large amount of carbon. As a result, stopping deforestation in these habitats also contributes to reduced carbon emissions.
The study also mentions that between 2007 and 2020, about six thousand hectares of forest has been protected in the tiger reserve. A significant reduction in deforestation in protected areas means saving about one million tonnes of carbon emissions.
While this may seem small compared to India’s annual carbon footprint of around 2.7 billion tonnes, it is a significant achievement. India, the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has pledged to reduce emissions. India is striving to reach net zero emissions by 2070. The study also points to the close relationship between biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, while highlighting the benefits for carbon emissions and tiger conservation. Protecting other wildlife could also help store more than six billion tonnes of carbon. There should be no dearth of funds for such biodiversity conservation projects. Funded through carbon credit schemes, the tiger project could make a big difference in protecting wildlife and biodiversity, the study added.