WWF says roads, dams, tiger farms, poaching threat to tiger survival in Greater Mekong region

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement on Wednesday that a road project in Myanmar and a proposed dam in Thailand, along with tiger farms and poaching, are a major threat to the survival of wild tigers across the Greater Mekong region.

WFF cited a new report on roads and other infrastructure in tiger habitats as saying that the Dawei road project across Myanmar's Dawna Tenasserim Landscape and a proposed dam within Mae Wong National Park in Thailand are among the key challenges to the survival of the big cats.

Released at the halfway point of an ambitious global effort to double the number of wild tigers between 2010 and 2022, the report highlighted the unprecedented threat posed by a vast network of planned infrastructure across the continent.

"Tigers are an important part of the cultural and natural heritage of each country in the Greater Mekong region, but unless drastic action is taken to secure them, their future here is uncertain at best due to multiple threats," said WWF Greater Mekong Conservation Director Teak Seng.

"As we hit the halfway point in our global effort to double tiger numbers, the urgency is increasing to act decisively or risk extinction of this majestic species from the region," he said.

Tigers are functionally extinct from Cambodia and Vietnam, and have largely disappeared from Laos, the statement said.

"In Myanmar, numbers are unknown but appear to be declining," it said. "Thailand is the best hope for tigers in the region, but numbers are low, with fewer than 200 remaining, and part of their habitat would be destroyed if a proposed dam is built within Mae Wong National Park." Enditem