Russia’s Amur tiger conservation programme received praise during an online press conference on the presentation of the UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook report.

Interviewed by TASS, Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that “the Russian experience clearly teaches us that where appropriate policies and legal frameworks are in place, creating that enabling environment, policies work, which enabled the increase in this number of species. And that is key.”

At the same time, it was noted in the organisation that it is important to conserve ecosystems as a whole rather than individual species.

Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said that the conservation programme works. She emphasised that countries must focus not only on conserving such beautiful, endangered species as the Amur tiger but their entire habitat.

Ms Andersen said that in addition to state regulation, it is important to involve communities to help people understand the importance of conserving different species and their habitats.

As a result of the adopted measures to protect Amur tigers, their population has grown by at least 15 percent in the past five years, with 580-600 tigers in Russia.