Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a number of orders aimed at preserving Amur leopards and tigers. They include proposals made by the ANO The Amur Tiger Centre.
According to the orders Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Governor of Primorsky Krai Vladimir Miklushevsky must ensure the development and adoption of a normative legal act, aimed at creating specially protected natural areas (PAs) in the form of federal national park in the upper and middle reaches of the Bikin River basin. Particular attention should be paid to the settlement of the possible participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives living in the area in its management bodies.
The Russian Government is also requested to submit the proposal to increase funding for institutions that manage protected areas of federal significance. The creation of public inspectors who will be authorized to conduct inspection of hunters’ things and vehicles is to be proposed. Together with the Russian Academy of Sciences the possibility to allocate the Far Eastern Marine Nature Reserve and the "Ussuri" Reserve to the Ministry of Environment to be considered before July 1st 2015.
The orders are also to be applied to forests. Among other things, the question of assignment of protective status to the forests located in the areas of leopards and tigers’ habitat has been raised. This will make it impossible to let them for the timber.
"These actions seem logical considering the course of development taken by Russia in the International Tiger Conservation Forum in 2010 in St. Petersburg. The list of orders is quite extensive. Its implementation will make significant progress in the Amur tiger and the Amur leopard conservation, - says Director General of the ANO The Amur Tiger Centre Yuri Danilov. - We need to make a great effort to make these assignments fulfilled in the timeline and with the greatest benefit for the Amur tiger."
Despite the fact that the list of instructions aims primarily at preserving the Amur tiger and the Amur leopard living in the south of the Far East, the implementation will improve the preservation of animals all over Russia.