Land Cover Change and Forest Disturbance in Tiger Conservation Landscape from 2000 to 2020

Forest habitat degradation restricts the recovery of global wild tiger populations. The disturbance mechanisms causing habitat loss remain unclear. This study integrates multi-source high-resolution remote sensing data to quantify the land cover changes of global Tiger Conservation Landscapes (TCLs) from 2000 to 2020. It also identifies the direct drivers of habitat loss across different tiger subspecies ranges at the pixel scale. The results show: (1) Over the past 20 years, forest area within TCLs decreased by a net 38,400 km2. Agricultural expansion is the primary transition type for this forest loss. (2) Drivers of forest degradation exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Forest loss in Indochinese and Bengal tiger ranges is mainly driven by shifting cultivation and traditional agriculture. Forest loss in Malayan and Sumatran tiger ranges is primarily caused by commercial oil palm expansion. Forest loss in the Amur tiger range is dominated by forest fires. This study reveals the varying mechanisms of cross-regional habitat degradation using physical evidence. It provides data to support the formulation of targeted tiger conservation strategies.These physical land transitions directly exacerbate habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict. The underlying drivers range from global market demands for commercial plantations in Southeast Asia to subsistence agriculture pressures in South Asia and human-induced fires in Northeast Asia.