Priority Landscape in the Russian Far East

Brought back from the brink of extinction, but work is no-where close to finished

Vast tracts of forest in Primorski and Khabarovski provinces represent the Russian Far East Broadleaf and Conifer Forests Global 200 Ecoregion, and are a Level I TCU. In the 1940s the Amur tiger was on the brink of extinction, with no more than 40 specimens in the wild.

Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts by the Russians with support from WWF and many other partners, the tiger population recovered and has remained stable throughout the last decade or so.

About 334-417 adult Amur tigers remain in the wild. Poaching of tigers and prey, increased logging and road construction, forest fires and inadequate law enforcement are key threats that affect the survival of Amur tigers in this landscape.

Econet - an ecological network of protected areas
WWF, in partnership with the Russian authorities and other NGOs, is helping establish Econet, an ecological network of protected areas that will become a well-connected habitat for the tiger. This involves setting up new protected areas and improving management of the whole protected area system.

Emphasis is on recovery of prey species, regulated hunting management, anti-poaching, and integration with forest and freshwater initiatives in the Russian Far East.