To boost cross-border cooperation between Russia and China, develop effective information exchanges, and interaction mechanisms between the two states, a China-Russia symposium on Amur tiger conservation has been organised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Zoology, the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, the Russian and Chinese Committees on UNESCO Program "Man and the Biosphere" (MAB) and the Amur tiger nature reserve in Hunchun. The symposium will be held in Hunchun (China) October 19-21, 2011 and will involve more than 20 Russian and over 35 Chinese experts.

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is under threat of extinction. Currently, there are 400-500 Siberian tigers in Russia. In China the population is far lower – about 20 – most of which pass through the area but live elsewhere. Dense forests, which form an ideal habitat for the Amur tiger, stretch across western Jilin and Heilongjiang province, and along the China-Russia border. Tigers are thought to cross the border regularly. Cooperation between the two countries is a key factor in the species' recovery.