The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has posted on its official website a new version of the Strategy for the Conservation of the Far Eastern Leopard in Russia. The strategy was approved by the directive of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment pursuant to the presidential instruction of 7 November, 2013.

The updated version focuses on the following issues: preservation of a viable leopard population in southwest Primorye Territory; creation of a viable leopard population in southern Sikhote-Alin; development of cooperation with China and North Korea on leopard conservation; and reduction of habitat degradation in southwest Primorye Territory and southern Sikhote-Alin by optimising territorial planning schemes and developing specially protected natural territories.

The Strategy was updated following the successful implementation of the measures outlined in the 1998 version, including conservation and restoration of leopard habitats and protection of the leopard and its food reserve; creation of Land of the Leopard National Park in the Primorye Territory with a total area of over 260,000 hectares; development of the project to form a reserve population; comprehensive scientific research; the start of annual monitoring of the size of the leopard population; and outreach and educational activities.

Currently, the total number of Far Eastern leopards in the wild stands at 50 maximum (1.5 times more than in 2007), with 70% of them living within Land of the Leopard National Park, its protected territory, and the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve.

Continued development and sustainable functioning of specially protected natural territories in the Primorye Territory, as well as planned cross-border cooperation between Russia, China, and North Korea, will help grow the wild Far Eastern leopard population to 100-120.