Course:FRST370/2021/Status of Wild Amur Tiger and their Conservation Strategy

This conservation resource was created by Course:FRST370.

This case study focuses on the Russian Far East, and northeastern China, which are Amur tiger habitats. According to several figures, hunting had driven the Amur tiger to the danger of becoming extinct by the 1940s, with just around 40 Amur tigers living in the wild. When Russia became the first country in the world to provide the tiger complete protection, the species was rescued. There are around 450 Amur tigers in the wild today. Because low prey numbers force them to seek across wide distances for food, they have the largest home range of any tiger subspecies; where females may have a range up to 95 to 170 square miles, which they often divide with their daughters. While male territories can be up to 770 square miles in size and may overlap with the territory of several females. However, large-scale illegal logging in Russia's Far East poses a major danger to their habitat, and poachers who sell their parts in the illegal wildlife trade are also a threat to Amur tigers.

Description

Large-scale illegal logging in Russia's Far East poses a major danger to their habitat, and poachers who sell their parts in the illegal wildlife trade are also a threat to Amur tigers. The current decrease in Amur tiger populations is primarily due to illegal poaching, people’s demand for their fur and for their body parts, such as bones that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine products, and factors associated with human population growth. Habitat fragmentation is a secondary driver of Amur tiger population decline, and it may have serious ecological consequences. The extinction of Siberian tigers would disturb the food system if they go extinct. The prey of Siberian tigers such as musk deer, wild pig, and other animals will become over-populated within the region. In the area of the Siberian tigers, people are seeking to construct large, gorgeous houses. As a result, the Siberian tigers must seek refuge in neighboring forests, but there are none near or in Siberia. The territory of the Siberian tigers is also being logged. People cut down trees to make place for their dwellings, and the tigers suffer for survival. Increased land in reserves, strengthened anti-poaching teams, and harsh punishments for convicted poachers have all been used to safeguard Siberian tigers. Making sure they have adequate natural prey to hunt is crucial to their existence.

Tenure arrangements

In January 1992, the Siberian Tiger Project was established in the Ussuri area in Terney, a fishing port 350 miles northeast of Vladivostok. Russian officials, as well as Drs. Maurice Hornocker and Howard Quigley of the Hornocke Wildlife Institute and the University of Idaho, took action. Chernomydrin, the Russian Prime Minister, signed a decree in 1995 to conserve the Siberian tiger. President Putin has recently endorsed the Wildlife Conservation Plan to build additional buffer zones surrounding national parks and federal nature reserves in the Amur tiger habitat, as well as to establish a national park in the Bikin River that would be maintained in collaboration with indigenous people. In addition, WWF was instrumental in the Khabarovsky provincial government's recent decision to establish three new ecological corridors for tigers to migrate between protected areas in the region. Since there is no individual ownership of forest property in Russia; instead, only long-term forest leases are used for recreational and logging reasons. The natural reserves, forest lands, forest resources, and protected areas are fully owned by the Russian State (Government).

Administrative arrangements

China has one of the world's widest variety of climates and ecological diversity. In order to protect the population of Amur Tiger, the Chinese government has implemented NFPP and many domestic conservation laws and regulations and targeting conservation programs for endangered species. One of the NFPA's main goals was to reduce commercial timber harvesting by 62.1% through a ban on commercial logging.

As an endangered species, the Siberian tiger has been listed in the White Paper on World Protected Species and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animal (Plant) Species (CITES). China's "The Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China '' lists the Siberian tiger as a national first-class protected animal. With the support and supervision of the Ministry of Forestry, China has also established the "China Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Center '' in a breeding farm in Heilongjiang Province. After that, the Heilongjiang Siberian Tiger Forest Park was established, and through the development and utilization of the tourism value of Siberian tigers, the method of "raising tigers with tigers"  is used to support and protect scientific research and rewilding training.

As of 1992, the Siberian tiger had grown from a very small number to 94, but at that time it faced its own shortage and insufficient food supply. In 1995, the Siberian Tiger Forest Park was officially built with the great attention and support of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government, the Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal Government, the Provincial and Municipal Tourism Bureau, and people from all walks of life. The Siberian Tiger Park has built a 360,000-square-meter Tiger Park, renovated the tiger house, and established a Siberian tiger science exhibition hall. The construction was completed in one year. After the wild training, the Siberian tiger's survival ability and running speed, predation skills, and cold tolerance in the wild have been greatly improved. In this way, the Siberian tiger is naturally stocked. Now the tiger population has increased to 170. Merged Harbin Wildlife Farm and Hengdaohezi Wildlife Farm, and now has 280 state-owned enterprise employees.

Affected Stakeholders

Local villagers in Northeast China

Those who make a living by killing wild animals belong to affected stakeholders. Many parts of the Northeast are still very backward and there is a serious shortage of food supplies. Therefore, for these residents, the most direct and effective way to obtain food is to obtain food through hunting. As a wild animal, the Siberian tiger is protected by our country's laws. However, due to the climate and various uncertain factors, farmers' farmland has been destroyed in these food-deficient areas and suffered a lot of economic losses. Poaching and poaching. It will happen often. The introduction of the Siberian tiger protection policy and these severe punishments will greatly affect them.

Loggers

The Amur tiger is at the top of the food chain and is responsible for maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem. In the forest, the tiger is a carnivore. It occupies a different ecological niche from wild boars, sika deer and other herbivores, plays different ecological functions, and forms a stable and harmonious ecosystem with the environment. In this ecosystem, it acts as a "protective umbrella" for other species. If the tiger population decreases or disappears, it will often cause a large number of herbivores to multiply, and then eat a large amount of vegetation in the forest, destroying the entire ecological balance. Those who fell trees will benefit, because as the number of Siberian tigers increases, humans can also obtain more resources from the forest. This means that enterprises and employees engaged in forestry will receive higher income.

Interested Outside Stakeholders

ShenYang Municipal Government

In 2010, there were 7 consecutive deaths of Siberian tigers in China. The Shenyang Municipal Government paid close attention to this case, and in order to avoid the continued abnormal deaths of wild animals in the park, the city government took a series of measures, including allocating 7 million yuan to 5 million yuan for the park to rescue existing tigers, etc. For wild animals, 2 million yuan will be used to restore normal management and protection in the park. The Shenyang Municipal Government always attaches great importance to the protection of Siberian tigers and is an interested stakeholder with very high power.

Businessman

In China, because of the fresh diet and wild animals eating raw and half eaten foods, the incidence rate of food borne parasites has increased year by year. Many people in this area like to eat wild tigers and use their fur to make coats and daily necessities. These people are interested stakeholders. Because of the impact of wildlife protection policies, for example, if the government requires them to prohibit hunting, they can not easily buy wildlife in the market, and the number of people who buy wildlife fur clothes will decrease. And those suppliers who sell to processing plants by cutting down trees and customers who need paper also belong to interested stakeholders. If the number of Amur tigers decreases and the forest is destroyed, they will be affected and their interests will be reduced. They are interested the how Amur tiger protection policy changes but has no power.

Tourists

With the opportunity of the Tourism Development conference, the overall function of the Siberian Tiger Forest Park has been improved. It is the world's largest artificial breeding and breeding base of Siberian tigers. The Siberian Tiger Forest Park has formed a comprehensive scenic spot integrating tourism, viewing, dining and leisure. The country-wide unique Siberian tiger research, study, protection and education base. The protection policy of the Siberian tiger is closely related to the tourism industry, and tourists have very low interest and power.

Discussion

Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

Location:

The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park is a national park located in a vast area of China's Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces. It is the habitat and breeding area of the Siberian tiger and the Siberian leopard. The total area of the National Park is 14,600 square kilometers. Among them, the Jilin Province area accounted for 71%, and the Heilongjiang area accounted for 29%.

Aims and Intentions:

The national park aims to effectively protect and restore the wild populations of Siberian tigers and leopards to achieve their stable reproduction. And effectively solve the contradiction between the protection of Northeast tigers and leopards and local development.

Successes：

In a joint investigation by experts from China, Russia and the United States from 1998 to 1999, only a few traces of Siberian tigers and leopards were found. It is judged that there were only 12-16 Siberian tigers and 7-12 Siberian leopards in China at that time. With the implementation of natural forest protection projects and the establishment of nature reserves, especially in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces that implemented a comprehensive hunting ban in the mid-1990s, the ecological environment of the Northeast tiger and leopard habitat has gradually improved and wild populations have been restored.

The tiger and leopard research team of Beijing Normal University, with the strong support of the State Forestry Administration, Jilin Province Forestry Department, and Heilongjiang Forest Industry Bureau, carried out location monitoring for up to 10 years and established a wild tiger and leopard observation network in China. Through 10 years of infrared camera monitoring data, it was found that between 2012 and 2014, there were 27 Siberian tigers and 42 Siberian leopards in China. China's wild Siberian tigers and leopards are facing important opportunities for population restoration and protection. In 2021, the number of newly observed wild Siberian tigers and Siberian leopards has increased from 27 and 42 at the beginning to about 40 and 50, respectively. More than 12 cubs and 11 cubs have been newly discovered. Monitoring data show that during the trial period of the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, the forest stock volume increased by 5.2%, the ungulate population was significantly restored, the relative abundance index of sika deer increased by 3.5 times, the wild boar increased by nearly 2 times, the roe deer more than doubled, and the new breeding Northeast With more than 10 tiger cubs and 7 or more Siberian leopard cubs, the cub survival rate has increased from about 30% to 50%.

The reserve has successfully protected and saved the habitat of endangered species from illegal logging and hunting by outsiders. At the same time, the tourism industry in the reserve has a successful educational purpose for tourists on endangered species, the environment and biodiversity. In addition, the establishment of endangered animal species sanctuaries and research centers helped save and breed their offspring and successfully increased their survival rate. A total of approximately 5.6 million yuan of compensation for wild animal accidents has been issued, and 10,632 public welfare posts have been set up. Through these measures, the people have benefited, and everyone has actively participated in the protection work.

Failures：

As the ecological environment is restored, tiger and leopard populations are growing and spreading, the focus of protection and management also needs to be shifted to community joint construction. Tigers prey on livestock and harm residents.

Critical Issues and Conflicts：

Human-tiger conflicts are mainly concentrated in protected areas and surrounding areas where residents coexist. From 2001 to 2010, there were 191 human-tiger conflict incidents recorded in the Hunchun Nature Reserve in Jilin Province, including 1 death, 3 injuries, and 242 deaths and 45 injuries to livestock. The predation of livestock has been increasing year by year. After the establishment of the reserve, the villagers’ income from forestry and gathering industries has decreased and their investment in animal husbandry has increased. However, tiger attacks on livestock have increased. Although compensation is provided, follow-up investigation results show that the number of farms in severely affected villages has decreased. The identity and protection enthusiasm of the protected area is low. The serious consequence of the local residents' negative attitude towards the construction of the reserve and the protection of the Siberian tiger will be the death or removal of the tiger from the area. Therefore, the correct handling of human-tiger conflicts and the elimination of human resentment towards tigers are even more important for protection and population restoration when the number of wild tigers is extremely scarce.

The lack of prey restricts the distribution and reproduction of wild Siberian tiger populations in my country. The main prey of the Siberian tiger are wild boar, red deer, roe deer, sika deer, primitive musk deer, goral and other ungulates. Long-term prey population monitoring showed that the population of red deer, roe deer, and wild boar in Heilongjiang Wandashan area decreased gradually from 1989 to 2002. The decline in prey density has restricted the growth of Siberian tiger populations in the area. There are many factors that affect the population of Siberian tiger prey. The degree of landscape fragmentation does not have a significant impact on population dynamics. Poaching (especially hunting) is the main reason for the rapid decline in population density. Effectively protecting and increasing the population density of prey is an important measure to promote the recovery of the Siberian tiger population, and it is also the basic guarantee for the survival and reproduction of the Siberian tiger.

Assessment

Interested stakeholders, such as national and provincial governments, has the greatest say in governing the reserve. They are the final decision makers, formulating and implementing the laws, policies and penalties of the protected area. In the reserve, they plan and decide the distribution of different functional areas in the reserve, such as buffer zone, residential area, experimental area and core area.

Other interested stakeholders, such as conservation authorities, business companies and etc., may have a high interest, either to benefit from the protected area or to research and better protect the species. Participants in this category have almost no power in policy, decision-making, and supervision of the region, but they have the right to make suggestions. For example, the environmental assessment and investigation conducted by the protected area authority will have an impact on the policies and decision-making of the government and authority groups and have a certain impact. Conservation organizations can link the government and the public who love tigers, and act as a lubricant and catalyst.

Affected stakeholders such as local residents and farmers have little influence or power in the reserve. Although they have lived in the area for generations, they have no power in decision-making and monitoring processes. But their existence greatly affects the interested stakeholders like governments' decision-making.

Recommendations

Amur tiger conservation organizations and forest community conservation organizations don't know whether they are intersected stakeholders or affected holders. We think they are out of the protection of the earth, not a means of survival or affected by any interests.

The significance of aims and intentions of the community forestry project is to effectively protect forest resources, which has important practical significance. Forest protection successes can bring the sustainable development of the state and nation. Forest resources are important natural tools for maintaining biodiversity, maintaining climate stability, regulating the atmospheric environment and combating natural disasters. At the same time, they are also the most important resource producing area on the earth. They provide a large number of valuable resources such as wood, coal, oil and gas for human production and life, as well as rich food for human beings. Therefore, wild tiger protection is related to the community forestry project. A critical issue is that how can the reserve have additional benefits while protecting tigers to ensure the needs of local people, and then protect tigers together. However, without any protection of the interests of local people, the enclosure of protected areas will intensify contradictions and make it inconsistent with the purpose. The solution is that we can set the tiger reserve as a tourist attraction for tourists to visit, which can prevent hunting and obtain additional income.