Held on 21 March, a meeting on measures to preserve the Amur tiger population in the Primorye Territory was attended by Konstantin Chuychenko, head of the Presidential Control Directorate, and representatives of scientific and educational organisations.

Mr Chuychenko singled out as a priority the need to train competent and skilled conservation professionals and to motivate students opting for a career as guardians and researchers of the unique Far Eastern flora and fauna, specifically the Amur tiger and the Far Eastern leopard.

The Far Eastern Federal University will launch a relevant master’s degree programme later this year with an emphasis on research. Students will also be encouraged to cooperate with government and public organisations, including the Amur Tiger Centre, in order to back theory with practice.

A group of 25 FEFU and Primorye Agricultural Academy students will become involved in environmental projects at the Sikhote Alin Nature Reserve famous for its tiger habitats.

An equally important plan is cooperating with related research institutions in the Primorye Territory which specialise in studying the Amur tiger population, their food stocks, habitats and other aspects. What they have learned about the Amur tiger population and fluctuations in its numbers over the last 50 years was used as the basis for the Russian Federation’s Amur Tiger Conservation Strategy approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources.