Considering the increase in profit from tourism alone, saving tigers should be a no-brainer. For only $82 million per year it would be possible to effectively monitor and protect tigers, allowing populations to recover from many years of poaching and habitat destruction. This is a truly insignificant price to pay to save this powerful and majestic species.
Tigers Create Economic Oppurtunies
From an economic perspective, tigers offer a rich tourism value. An increase in tiger populations would mean an increase in tourists drawn to see this magnificent creature. This would create a flow of money to some of the world’s most impoverished nations. Tiger conservation projects also offer sustainable ways to provide higher incomes to people in poor and rural communities by giving them employment opportunities. (Tiger, WWF)
Why $82 Million?
That $82 million would allow effective monitoring and protection of tigers at specific source sites. There have been 42 identified source sites which contain almost 70% of the current tiger population. Protecting these sites would result in a 70% increase in tiger numbers, which would be a massive boost to tiger populations and set tigers well along the path to recovery. (Walston, 2010).
Cost of Saving a Tiger
How Much Would it Cost to Save Tigers?
Saving tigers comes out to a surprisingly small cost. In order to monitor and protect tigers at specific source sites, it would cost only $82 million per year. (Walston, 2010)
This may seem like a staggering figure, yet in comparison to the billions and even trillions of dollars governments and companies spend each year, $82 million is rather minor sum. For example, the United States spends more than $200,000 per minute on oil, or about $312 million per day. (Safe, Strong and Secure: Reducing America's Oil Dependence, 2004) The amount of money the US spends each day on oil far surpases the amount it would take per year to help save the Siberian Tiger.
We’re Halfway There!
Thankfully, more than half of the funds needed to protect tigers at these source sites are already being donated. Governments, international donors, and nonprofit organizations have committed $47 million so far, which means that only $35 million more needs to be donated to reach our goal. (Walston, 2010)
How Can You Help?
Donating to protect tigers, and more specifically the Siberian tiger, is an extremely important action when considering the benefits tigers offer and the consequences that would come with their disappearance from the world. To see how YOU can make a difference in the fate of the Siberian Tiger and tigers worldwide, visit our page: What You Can Do
