Delegates of the International Youth Forum opened Tiger Trail in Vladivostok
WWF, Ministry of natural resources and environment of Russia, and Administration of Primorsky region organized the International Tiger Youth Forum in Vladivostok, a city in the south of the Russian Far East, on November 18-24, in parallel to the Tiger Forum in Saint Petersburg.
The inauguration event was held today in Vladivostok State University of Economy and Service. The 30 young Tiger Ambassadors were met by students of Primorsky Agriculture Academy and other universities, young environmentalists from local towns of Partizansk, Volno-Nadezhinsk, as well as Primorsky region vice-governor Viktor Myasnik, Consular-Generals of India and Vietnam.
WWF-Russia CEO Igor Chestin thanked the governor of the region, Sergey Darkin, and Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, for supporting the idea of the Tiger Youth Forum in Vladivostok, and the videoconference between the young delegates in Vladivostok with heads of governments of tiger range countries in Saint Petersburg.
“You will have a lot of interesting meetings here, and I urge you to use them as an opportunity to learn. People you’ll meet in Primorsky region – scientists, rangers, have managed to restore the Amur tiger population from several dozens in mid 20th century to several hundreds now. It is thanks to them that the Russian Amur tiger population is stable now”, said Igor Chestin to the young delegates.
On the same day, participants of the Forum opened the Tiger Trail on Sportivnaya queue in Vladivostok. The trail, constructed by Vladstroiservis Company for WWF, consists of 13 black and rose granite stones, put in chess order, each with a tiger track and name of one of the countries, still inhabited by tigers – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Russia. Now, each tiger range country has its own tiger track in Vladivostok, on stones laid by its young Tiger Ambassadors. Delegates from Nepal presented a sculpture of a Bengal Tiger as a gift to the Governor of Primorsky region, as a symbol of the interstate cooperation in tiger conservation.
The Youth Forum participants will have discussions on tiger conservation projects, field trips to Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve, Leopardovy Sanctuary, Orlinoye state model hunting area, WWF Land of Leopard Visit Center. Participants will share their impressions and ideas in blogs.
At the end of the Forum, the delegates will sign an Appeal to participants of the International Tiger Forum in Saint Petersburg, which will be given to heads of governments during the videoconference in Saint Petersburg on November 23.
