July 1 in the Far East began its work the second part of the student environmental group "Tiger". As part of a project organized in 2014 by the Amur Tiger Center, 25 young professionals from six higher educational institutions of Russia will be engaged in the creation of infrastructure facilities and improvement of ecological paths in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve in Primorye.
Expansion of the participants' geography is the main innovation of the environmental watch. In addition to the “veterans”, students of the Primorsky State Agricultural Academy, who in the first season equipped the “Cape Severny” sightseeing path, this year the representatives of Voronezh State Agrarian University, St. Petersburg Academy of Veterinary Medicine, Moscow State Academy, Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology name Scriabin and Novosibirsk State Agrarian University.
“Despite the fact that the student group "Tiger" worked hard last year, still did not have time to do much of the planned, so we are very pleased that the work of student groups managed to make a traditional. We hope that thanks to the efforts of students and staff of the reserve will be able to make nature a little more "comfortable" for her contemplation and minimize the possibility of causing her "wounds" negligent tourists. Last year proved that, having been in the bosom of mother nature, students of specialized specialties are actually attached to their future profession, and there are already positive examples of work of children in the specialty, including in the field of protection of the Amur tiger. I want to believe that the current "fighters" will not be an exception,” commented on the beginning of the work of the student group "Tiger" Sergey Aramilev, Director of the far Eastern branch Amur tiger Center.
During the two summer months, students will have to equip in the reserve an ecological trail "Lake Blagodatnoe", which, on the one hand, runs along the lake of the same name, and on the other, along the picturesque coast of the Sea of Japan. In the heart of the range of the Amur tiger, students with their own hands will equip a new path, repair the observation towers, place signs. All work will be carried out under the supervision of experienced foremen.
“A year has passed since the beginning of the first construction team on the territory of the Sikhote-Alin reserve. We approached the organization of a new season of works taking into account valuable last year's experience. The reserve has already prepared all the construction material necessary for the improvement of ecological trails and the Blagodatnoye cordon, together with the Amur tiger Center, it has purchased the necessary tools, uniforms, and food products. The work plan is clear. I hope that the weather will not let us down and the students will do a lot of useful things for the reserve, its inhabitants and visitors, and at the same time they will get a lot of pleasant impressions about the Sikhote-Alin reserve and a good life experience,” said Dmitry Gorshkov, Director of the Sikhote-Alin reserve.
It is on the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve that the natural habitats of the Amur tiger are most fully preserved. The history of this specially protected natural area has always been closely connected with the history of the protection of the "rare cat". So, in the late 40s of the last century, the last group of Amur tigers lived in these places, thanks to which they managed to save the subspecies and increase their numbers in the future.
The Sikhote-Alin State Natural Biosphere Reserve is located on the territory of three districts of Primorsky Krai: Terney, Krasnoarmeisky and Dalnegorsky. A unique natural complex has been preserved here, including the majority of animal and plant species in the Far East of Russia. In this regard, in 1979, the reserve was granted biosphere status at the UNESCO forum, and in 2001 the reserve was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The work of the student environmental unit "Tiger" is aimed at drawing attention to the problem of preserving wildlife in general and the Amur tiger in particular, developing the volunteer movement and ecotourism in the Far East, supporting the creation of infrastructure in national parks and reserves, and work in protected areas of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills.
The project is carried out with the financial support of the State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM and the JSC TENEX.