The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve has received CA|TS accreditation - the highest recognition from the world community for its efforts to conserve the tiger. In the year of the 80th anniversary of the reserve, the international tiger certificate became a special gift.
The award was presented today, September 11, in the settlement of Terney, Primorsky Krai, at a solemn meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Sikhote-Alin State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after S.A. K.G. Abramov. On behalf of CA|TS, Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), handed over the tiger certificate to the reserve.
“I congratulate Russia on a significant increase in the Amur tiger population, according to the latest data 523-540 individuals. It is very gratifying to realize that the Sikhote-Alin Reserve, as a tiger territory, was the first in Russia and the second in the world to receive the certificate CA|TS. These achievements give us hope and are a powerful stimulating factor for all tiger countries. They argue that, thanks to continuous efforts, the Government of the Russian Federation and its partners, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, have achieved the goals of the Declaration signed in St. Petersburg in 2010,” said Rajesh Gopal.
The Sikhote-Alin Nature reserve became the first in Russia and the second in the world, after the Chitwan national park in Nepal, a specially protected natural area that has been certified by tiger habitats CA|TS. This Protected areas, the largest in the area of the Amur tiger, has a unique natural wealth and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Specialists of the Amur Tiger Center who participated in the independent assessment of the reserve's activities according to CA|TS standards, also recognized that the reserve rightfully received the status of certified first in Russia.
It was the Sikhote-Alin Nature reserve that played a key role in the restoration of the Amur tiger population in the late 40s of the last century. Now it meets the highest international standards. On its territory, thanks to the work of the student group “Tiger”, modern ecological paths have been arranged, everything necessary for research staff and tourists who want to get acquainted with the amazing nature of the Far East is present.
“CA|TS accreditation is a very important tool for the reserve, which will help us improve the management system and share our methods and approaches with other protected areas inhabited by tigers,” said Dmitry Gorshkov, director of the Sikhote-Alin reserve.
Certification tiger habitat CA|TS is a universal tool for monitoring, demonstrating and guaranteeing the effectiveness of management of tiger territories. Developed by international environmental organizations, the Global tiger forum (GTF), Tiger initiative, IUCN and the world Commission on protected areas, certification of the CA|TS includes 17 standards that will help manage tiger territories and evaluate the effectiveness of this management.
For its implementation an ongoing dialogue with all countries in the tiger range in South-East Asia. Russia, with 13% of the entire tiger population in the world, is considered as the second largest habitat of the tiger, and its participation is essential for promotion of tiger certification.
CA|TS approved habitats will be included in the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas. It is expected that the territories where certification is carried out will play an active role in the implementation of the Tiger Recovery Program announced at the Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg. CA|TS will also help countries fulfill commitments made under the Convention on Biological Diversity, international treaties on climate change, CITES Convention, etc. This makes tiger certification an important tool in tiger conservation.
“It is worth noting that the current development of the Sikhote-Alin nature reserve was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the state, the reserve's management and conservation organizations, including the Amur tiger Centre, involved in the improvement of infrastructure in protected areas and reserve provide significant support” – says Sergey Aramilev, Director of the Primorsky branch of the Amur tiger Center - “We are very pleased that the correctness of the decisions taken for the benefit of environmental protection in Russia, got the confirmation now on the international level and we hope that the standard of CA|TS will restore the number of tigers in the reserve to the optimal level.”