Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia Alexander Kozlov approved The strategy for the conservation of the Amur tiger in the Russian Federation until 2034. The new edition of the fundamental "tiger" document responds to modern challenges and threats to the population of a rare predator. The Amur Tiger Center is a partner in the implementation of the Strategy.
The very first Amur Tiger Conservation Strategy in our country was approved in 1996. The second edition was published in 2010, its purpose was to determine the mechanisms for preserving a viable Amur tiger population of at least 500 individuals with the maximum possible genetic diversity on the territory of the Russian Federation. This goal has been fully achieved.
The new, third edition of the Strategy, designed for the period up to 2034, was prepared by a working group that included representatives of all government, scientific and public organizations involved in the Amur tiger conservation process. The Chairman of the working group was the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Amur Tiger Center Konstantin Chuichenko.
The purpose of the new Strategy is to identify mechanisms for the long—term preservation of a viable Amur tiger population of at least 700 individuals in order to maintain genetic diversity and guarantee conflict-free habitat of the subspecies in the wild on the territory of our country.
To achieve the goal, the following tasks should be solved:
- to preserve the existing population of the Amur tiger in the parameters of conflict-free existence with humans;
- to determine the mechanisms of conservation and long-term survival of the Amur tiger population in conditions of increasing anthropogenic impact on ecosystems;
- to determine the mechanisms for preventing outbreaks of epizootics in the populations of the Amur tiger and its food supply facilities;
- to ensure the maintenance of a single population on the territory of Russia, the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The new version of the Strategy takes into account already proven tools, and also formulates measures to respond to new threats to the Amur tiger population and the tasks that, in this regard, will be set for specialists.
"The most obvious of the new threats is animal diseases or, as it is correct to say, epizootics. Tigers themselves and the objects of their food supply suffer from them. For example, in some areas of the Amur tiger's range, African swine fever has led to the death of up to 70% of wild boars, according to some estimates. Now their numbers are gradually recovering, but they are still far from the same," says Sergey Aramilev, General Director of the Amur Tiger Center. — Another factor affecting the tiger population is the development of the Far East. Any settlement always carries the risk of forest fires. More and more people are raising livestock, which, together with the growth of the predator population, leads to an increase in conflict situations. It is necessary to strengthen the state system of their resolution, it is necessary to increase the number of special groups. When resolving conflict situations, not only people should be safe, but also the tigers themselves. It is necessary to ensure humane capture of predators and their relocation to another part of the range. We are also working to legislate the rules for keeping farm animals in tiger habitats."
Another obvious threat to the nature of the southern Far East, which is personified by the Amur tiger, is the negative anthropogenic impact associated with projects of individual commercial companies in the habitats of rare Red Book animals and plants. It is necessary to pay attention to solving problems related to mining and creating a linear infrastructure in the tiger area. Economic development should not threaten nature, but rather help preserve it.
The international component of the Strategy should be mentioned separately. About 95% of the world population of the Amur tiger lives in Russia, so it is our country that bears the main responsibility for preserving the unique predator. Nevertheless, its future also depends on the state of habitats in the countries bordering Russia. The main task in the field of international environmental cooperation at the moment is increasingly intensive cooperation with the neighboring People's Republic of China. Strengthening ties, sharing experiences and ideas with Chinese colleagues, and creating cross–border specially protected natural areas - all this will have a positive impact on the state of cross-border populations of the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard. The second task is to participate in the work of international organizations and mechanisms for nature conservation, including the Global Tiger Forum and the International Alliance of Big Cats.
The next stage after the approval of the Strategy is the development of an action plan for its implementation. According to the order of the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, this should be done within six months.
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