The centerpiece of the BBC Wildlife Magazine’s March issue is a photo story on Land of the Leopard National Park by French photojournalist Emmanuel Rondeau. The report analyses the main problems facing the leopard population and the national park’s efforts to save the most endangered big cat in the world.

Emmanuel Rondeau was the first foreign journalist to visit the Land of the Leopard. He visited in 2014 and stayed for nearly a month, collecting data on how the conservation effort was being conducted. While there, he also took a number of photographs using his professional trail cameras.

“I am happy that I’ve been able to shed light on one of the world’s most amazing and endangered large cats,” he said. He admitted that occasionally he had encountered difficulties. However, with the help of the national park staff, they did their best to make the project a success.

The magazine story briefly covers how the Far Eastern leopards, previously endemic to the Korean Peninsula, have survived on a narrow strip of land near the border between Russia, China and North Korea. The focus of the story is on how the nascent national park, the Land of the Leopard, is working to preserve the cat by fighting fires and poaching, pursuing scientific research, and educating the locals.

The directors of the national park believe that foreign media interest in the leopards will only grow with time.

“The fact that this popular and highly respected magazine has devoted three spreads to the Far Eastern leopard is an honour and an achievement,” said Yelena Salmanova, the national park’s deputy director for research and environmental education. “The cover photo of a Far Eastern leopard confirms that this cat is a world treasure and its preservation is an important mission for specialists from all countries.”