The Process of Tiger Disappearance in Guizhou

Abstract

In this paper, the authors collected officially published literature on the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) in Guizhou from 1900 to 1980, from which we extracted information on its historical distribution and population size, and collected data on the tiger skin trade after 1950, the change in subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forest cover, and demographic data in the relevant databases. GIS mapping was used to visualize the distribution range of the South China tiger in Guizhou Province during the period 1900–1980 and to discuss the history of its disappearance in Guizhou and its driving factors. The results show that in 1900, the South China tiger was distributed throughout 82 cities and counties in nine prefectures and municipalities in the province; the number of documented South China tiger distribution sites in 1900–1950 decreased to 48 compared to 1900; the number of counties with South China tigers in 1950–1980 further decreased and became extinct in some areas; and in the 1990s, the South China tiger became extinct in the wild in Guizhou. The main reasons for the extinction of the South China tiger in the wild in Guizhou are: on the one hand, with the socio-economic development of Guizhou Province, the population has increased dramatically, the magnitude of the demand for natural resources has increased, and in order to satisfy this demand, human activities, such as coal mining and clearing of mountains for planting, have been intensified, resulting in the reduction of the coverage rate of the subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forests, which has resulted in the extreme loss of the habitat of the South China tiger; on the other hand, the insufficient protection efforts and protection measures for this species in the country before the 1980s, which were subjected to anthropogenic hunting, were also factors leading to the extinction of this species in the wild in Guizhou Province. As a big cat at the top of the food chain, the distribution of the South China tiger can reflect the history of the natural environment in the region. By analyzing and discussing the distribution history of the South China tiger population in Guizhou Province, the significance of this case is to provide a scientific basis for the future conservation of biodiversity and the development of ecological restoration measures in the karst mountains of southern China.