A Keystone Species
As a keystone species, the Amur Tiger is crucial to the health of its environment. They are the monitors of how the rest of the ecosystem is functioning, and help manage the populations of other species as well. These tigers play a major role in maintaining the balance and health of the Russian Far East forests.
Beneficial Forests
Humans also benefit from the natural resources that forests provide. We use wood for our furniture and homes, and to sell to make profit. We use plants as a source of food, and many hold medicinal properties, found only in their specific regions. The forests are a source of food, clean water, and resources for many people, by saving the forests, and the tigers, we are saving the people as well.
Tigers Provide Economic Opportunities
Tigers themselves can also be a source of income without killing them. People from all over the world flock to see the great tigers of the world, bringing with them their money. The tourist industry could be an even greater source of income for the local people then the short term benefits of killing and selling a tiger’s skin or body parts.
Tigers Are Irreplacable
Killing off the tigers would lead to a domino effect felt by countries all over the world. It would lead to the further deterioration of the Russian Far East forests, destroying a source of food and water in which many people in the immediate area rely on. It would also mean destroying a resource that benefits the entire world through CO2 sequestering, water filtration, and animal preservation. These forests harbor an immense amount of biodiversity which would be greatly decreased with the decline of these tigers.
Why Should it be Saved?
Carbon Dioxide Sequestering
As humans we rely on the natural resources and services that ecosystems provide. We need plants to filter our water, and to absorb other toxins from our wastes. It was found that every year, the world’s forests absorb 8.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This is an immense amount of CO2 taken in every year by trees alone (Tigers in Crisis, 2015). Without them, we would have an even greater abundance of CO2 in the air we breathe.
