WWF launches tiger appeal with recovery under threat in India and Nepal

• Conservation to stabilise and increase tiger numbers has been successful, but the species still face threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict
• Reports show the sale of tiger parts is booming on social media and encrypted platforms across the world, making the illegal trade harder to detect
• ‘Tiger friends’ (Bagh Mitras) are helping state forest departments to conserve tigers with community engagement and education
• WWF are asking the public to give a gift that lasts this Christmas to safeguard wild tigers – funds supporting ranger training / ranger equipment for tiger protection and monitoring, habitat preservation and more

Wild tiger populations have more than doubled in the past decade, thanks to conservation efforts from government, communities and organisations including WWF. Once at an all-time low of less than 3,200 in 2010, the global population has now risen to around 5,700 (Global Tiger Forum, 2025). Yet this conservation success faces mounting pressures.

WWF’s new Christmas Appeal is asking the public to give a gift that lasts – one that will secure a long-term future for these majestic cats by funding enhanced safeguards on the ground and online, habitat restoration and community-led conservation.

Much of WWF's conservation work is being focused on areas where tigers still have a fighting chance – including the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a vital area straddling the border between Nepal and India, and one of the last strongholds for the endangered tiger.

Why now? The conservation success under threat

While wild tiger numbers have risen globally, so too has the risk of poaching, fuelled by ongoing demand for tiger parts in places such as China and southeast Asia.

Tiger parts and products are transported from India over the border to Nepal and China, with seizures taking place in all three countries. Traffickers are also taking their trade online – selling tiger skins, bones, teeth, even whiskers - via encrypted social media platforms, making illegal activity harder to detect and dismantle.

In parts of India and Nepal, where forests meet agricultural areas, tiger habitats overlap with villages and farmland where many people live. In such areas, there are increased risks of dangerous encounters between people and big cats, and of poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.

The importance of saving stripes

Tigers and their habitats provide vast benefits to the climate, people and wildlife. Protecting them also means:

• Healthy ecosystems and rivers: Tiger habitats overlap with major river systems, which supply water to over 830 million people in Asia.
• Climate mitigation: Forests where tigers roam absorb and store CO2 from the atmosphere.
• Boost to biodiversity: Tiger reserves are home to other endangered animals, safeguarding thousands of species including Asian elephants and the greater one-horned rhino.
• Economic & cultural value: Tiger landscapes support Indigenous Peoples and local communities through access to natural resources, ecotourism, and job creation. They are recognised in India as a symbol of strength and beauty; binding the country together.

People protectors & tiger allies

In tiger hotspots across India and Nepal, hope lies with the rangers who patrol the forests and the Bagh Mitras, meaning ‘Tiger Friends’ - local volunteers who help prevent human-tiger conflict, fostering peaceful coexistence between communities and wildlife.

WWF is introducing urgent measures to protect tigers and their habitats. Funds raised through the Christmas Appeal will go toward:

• Protection against poaching and illegal wildlife trade
• Community-led human-tiger conflict mitigation and education
• Habitat protection and restoration
• Cross-border collaboration to respond to illegal wildlife trade

Mr Mahesh Prasad Semwal, range officer of Motichur range in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Terai Arc Landscape (India/Nepal), said: “Protecting a tiger isn’t just about conserving a single species, it’s about preserving an entire ecosystem. That sense of responsibility is both humbling and energising. It reminds me that in protecting the tiger, I am protecting forests, prey species, water sources, and the broader ecological balance.”

Becci May, senior programme advisor at WWF UK said: “Tiger conservation is one of nature’s greatest comeback stories - but it’s under threat from evolving illegal wildlife trade networks and habitat fragmentation. Every tiger protected represents a win for wildlife conservation, as well as supporting community wellbeing and climate resilience. We need ongoing support to better enable rangers to protect wildlife and to work alongside communities living near tigers, including the formidable Bagh Mitras. This Christmas, you can give a gift that lasts - a gift that helps tigers thrive, ecosystems recover, and future generations inherit a wilder, more resilient planet.”