The tiger is a majestic creature, a huge apex predator in the ecosystem. Tigers are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, and they have a long history with humans. The tiger appears in numerous myths and beliefs and is also one of the twelve zodiac symbols. Unfortunately, because more than 95% of wild tigers have vanished in the past few decades, tiger population recovery is urgently needed and is a topic that has caught the attention of people from all over the world.
The Tiger Recovery Program in Thailand’s Upper Western Forest Complex (Upper WEFCOM) is one conservation effort that aims to conserve and recover the tiger population in collaboration with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation and WWF Thailand. The program was launched in 2010 and has been operating ever since. After more than a decade of ongoing conservation efforts, it is clear that the Upper WEFCOM has become a forest of hope for the conservation of endangered tigers in Thailand and around the world.
The Upper WEFCOM consists of four protected areas: Mae Wong National Park, Khlong Lan National Park, Khlong Wang Chao National Park, and Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, which together cover an area of 4,500 km2 accounting for 24 percent of the WEFCOM area. The Upper WEFCOM is rich in plant and animal biodiversity and is also connected to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Due to Upper WEFCOM’s large and unfragmented geographical features, tigers and other wild animals are able to roam freely throughout the forests. According to long-term tiger population monitoring from 2012-2022, at least 19 tigers have dispersed from the World Heritage forest into or through the Upper WEFCOM. This is the most conclusive evidence to prove that the Upper WEFCOM is a vital habitat for recovering tigers, and provides renewed hope for conservationists that increasing the population of Indochinese tigers on a global scale is indeed possible.
We believe that these four major interventions are the foundation for maintaining and increasing the tiger population in Upper WEFCOM and supporting long-term tiger conservation in Thailand and the wider landscape. Furthermore, the program’s work plan and goals are in alignment with the Thai Tiger Conservation Action Plan.
