A roundtable, Wild Cats Conservation, was held in the Russian pavilion at the 6^th World Conservation Congress in Hawaii. Leading experts from Russia, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Singapore and other countries took part in the event.

Dmitry Gorshkov, director of the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve, focused his report on the role of specially protected nature reserves in preserving the Amur tiger population. The latest data suggests that the tiger population has increased from 40 animals in the 1940s to 540 in 2015 thanks to the efforts of such reserves.

Yelena Shevtsova, deputy director for research at Land of the Leopard National Park, said the success of the programme to preserve rare predators depended not only on its approval in Russia but also on international cooperation, including in China and North Korea, which are also part of the Amur tiger’s range.

“We want to be sure that the animals are being protected beyond specially protected nature reserves and Russia’s state borders,” Shevtsova said.

Other rapporteurs included Rohit Singh, president of the Ranger Federation of Asia (RFA), and Craig Bruce, head of Asia, Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London. Foreign participants said the roundtable was one of the most interesting events at the congress.