In his report during President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Government ministers on 27 May, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi announced the preliminary results of the count of Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards. According to the latest data, the global population of leopards is estimated at 60-70 species, with 57 recorded by camera traps in Land of the Leopard National Park alone.

The minister noted the positive population trends for tigers and leopards, stressing that the progress was made possible by the system of specially protected natural areas created in Russia. Five new national parks were opened in the Primorye and Khabarovsk Territories, including Land of the Leopard. Measures to fight poaching and support the predators’ food sources – hoofed animals – are also key to increasing the population.

“Our strategic goal is to bring the population of Far Eastern leopards in southwestern Primorye (factoring in the adjacent Chinese territories) to 120. Accord to experts, this would essentially guarantee their preservation in the wild,” he said.

The simultaneous count of Amur tigers and Far Eastern leopards was organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and affiliated agencies in February 2015. The programme covered over 150,000 sq km of leopard and tiger habitat in the Far East. About 1,500 trails were monitored, and some 2,000 federal and regional environmental and game supervision officials, professional ecologists, biologists, and experienced hunters were involved in studying and measuring the animals’ tracks in the snow. Leopards in Land of the Leopard National Park were counted by park specialists with support from the Far Eastern Leopards NGO.

The results of the winter count are preliminary and will be analysed by experts. Final results will be released in October.