A new specially protected area to preserve the Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard populations has been established in Primorye. The Komissarovsky State Nature Sanctuary of regional importance will be able to protect an additional 83,000 hectares of land in the Pogranichny and Khankaisky municipal districts of the Primorye Territory, which are an important habitat of the rare predators.

“The endangered animals of the Primorye Territory, in particular, the Amur tiger, are now able to move freely between Russia and the People's Republic of China. Public environmental organisations, biologists, the Administration of the Primorye Territory and the Hunting Control Department spent 1.5 years working together to complete the project,” said Dmitry Pankratov, director of the Department for Protection, Control and Regulation of Wildlife of the Primorye Territory.

The Komissarovsky Nature Sanctuary, like Land of the Leopard National Park and the Sredneussuriisky Nature Sanctuary, was created as part of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China to preserve biodiversity.

“The Amur Tiger Centre will try to provide the employees of the new sanctuary with resources straight away, so that they can get down to business as soon as possible,” said Sergei Aramilev, director of the Amur Tiger Centre.