The indigenous range of the tiger (Panthera tigris)

Indigenous range maps are fundamental documents in biogeography and conservation. We define the indigenous range of a species as ecoregions (or parts of ecoregions) where the species was likely found before human beings became a major factor shaping the species’ distribution, beginning at a time when the geographic alignment of the continents and the prevailing climate are (or at least were) roughly consistent with current conditions. We developed a structured, generally applicable, method to map a species' indigenous range and applied this process to the tiger (Panthera tigris). We synthesized a database of over 70,000 tiger observations with times and locations to guide our mapping. We developed a structured Delphi process to assign categories of indigenous range to ecoregions aided by a climate niche model. We analyzed tiger habitat change at the ecoregional scale using the anthropogenically-modified biomes (“Anthrome 12K”) dataset to suggest dates of first significant human impact. ..., We synthesized a database of over 70,000 tiger observations with times and locations to guide our mapping. We developed a structured Delphi process to assign categories of indigenous range to ecoregions aided by a climate niche model. We analyzed tiger habitat change at the ecoregional scale through a reclassification of the anthropogenically-modified biomes (“Anthrome 12K”) dataset to suggest dates of first significant human impact. Finally, for ecoregions where tigers have been extirpated, we estimated extirpation dates., , **Indigenous range of the tiger (Panthera tigris)**

Data is provided in ESRI shapefile format based on an ecoregional framework established by Dinerstein et al. (2017), which in turn draws heavily on Olson et al. (2001). Data are provided in geographic coordinates (lat/lon) using the WGS84 datum.

Key fields include

Category = tiger indigenous range category (likely resident, exploratory, possible resident)

Divide = dividing point if an ecoregion has been subdivided

Rationale = brief rationale for assignment of tiger range

Usage: Data are shared under [Creative Commons Zero (CC0)](http://creativecommons.org/about/cc0). See:[https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/cc0/](https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/cc0/)Â