On the 21st of March a working meeting with Konstantin Chuichenko, Head of the Presidential Control Directorate and representatives of scientific and educational organizations took place. The package of measures for the conservation of the Amur tiger population in Primorsky Krai was discussed.
According to Konstantin Chuichenko one of the priorities of the project is to train competent and qualified staff and support students, who have chosen the protection and study of the unique flora and fauna of the Russian Far East, the gems of which are the Amur tiger and the Amur leopard, as their job.
Far Eastern Federal University proceeds to the preparation of such specialists as early as this year. The plan is to start the basic educational master's program aimed at undergraduates receiving in-depth knowledge with a focus on research and development. Also, students will be involved directly in the work of state and public organizations including the Amur Tiger Center so that young professionals get not only theoretical but also practical knowledge.
In addition, the number of students of Far Eastern Federal University and Primorsky State Academy of Agriculture will form a group who will participate in activities aimed at the preservation of the Amur tiger. A squad of 25 young men and women will be involved in the work on environmental protection on the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Reserve.
"There is clearly a lack of young professionals in the field of the protection of flora and fauna, especially in Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai. It can be easily explained: the professions of a zoologist or a hunter did not gain popularity in the 90s and the preparatory base for such expertise was lost – says Sergey Aramilev, director of the Primorsky branch of the Amur Tiger Center. - At the moment, the system of hunting supervision and guarding of protected areas, as well as academic institutions, need competent experts capable to fully carry out the tasks for the protection and study of the unique nature of the Southern Part of the Russian Far East. "
An equally important factor is the cooperation with sectoral research institutes in Primorsky Krai which have extensive experience in the study of the Amur tiger population, its food resources and habitats. Thanks to the scientific base that they have accumulated a lot of aspects of the big cat’s life are known. They had obtained the information about the Amur tiger population and its changes over the past 50 years and it served the the basis of “The Strategy of Amur tiger conservation in the Russian Federation”, approved by the Decree of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated 02.07.2010 year.
Following the meeting the Amur Tiger Center entered into a cooperation agreement with Far Eastern Federal University, Pacific Institute of Geography, the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Biology and Soil Institute, and Primorsky State Agricultural Academy.