IUCN Releases First Green Status Assessment for Tigers

First Green Status of Species Assessment for Panthera tigris (tiger) was released by IUCN.

Current Status:

• Tigers are “critically depleted” across much of their indigenous range in Asia.
• Severe range contractions and population declines have left the species regionally extinct or critically endangered in many areas.

Purpose of Green Status:

• Complements the IUCN Red List by assessing species recovery and measuring conservation success.
• Introduced in 2020 as an optional part of Red List assessments.

Key Findings:

• Conservation efforts across Asia prevented further steep declines, averting regional extinction in six spatial units (seven in worst-case scenario).
• Without conservation, the Species Recovery Score would be only 5%.

Recovery Criteria:
A species is considered fully recovered if it meets all three facets:

1. Range: Present in all parts of its historical range, including previously occupied areas.
2. Viability: Not threatened with extinction in any part of its range.
3. Ecological Function: Performing its ecological roles throughout its range.

Green Score:

• Ranges from 0–100%, indicating how close a species is to being fully recovered.

Significance:

• Provides a quantitative measure of conservation effectiveness.
• Offers guidance for future tiger conservation efforts, focusing on restoring populations and habitats across their historic range.