Amur tiger monitoring completed in Khabarovsky and Primorsky provinces

The Wildlife and Hunting Department of Primorsky Province together with the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FAB RAS) with participation of federal nature reserve “Kedrovaya Pad” and WWF experts completed Amur tiger monitoring of winter 2011-2012.

All the routs within eight monitoring plots under supervision of the Game Management Department of Primorsky Province, have been tracked, and in spite of unfavorable weather conditions all methodological recommendations were taken into account. Within a month the obtained data will be combined with those of Khabarovsky Province and of federal protected areas in Primorsky Province. Therefore, data from 16 plots will reveal true and fare view of rare predator's population dynamics.

For the first time the results have been summarized very operatively, so that the Game Management Department of Primorsky Province will use this data while fixing limits for ungulate extraction in those areas where there is an alarming trend in population dynamics, - comments Sergei Aramilev, species program coordinator of WWF Russia Amur branch. – In general, the second stage of monitoring confirmed the results of the first stage and demonstrated the stability of tiger population on the level of 5 recent years. On the other hand, the situation is not smooth everywhere, some areas require taking operative measures. Namely, northern regions of Primorsky Province, where direct tiger poaching is noted, as well as intense logging and ungulates extraction for the purpose of selling meat.”