The Amur tiger population in Russia will remain stable and grow thanks to systematic conservation efforts taken at the state level, President Vladimir Putin said in his video address to the participants of the second International Tiger Conservation Forum in Vladivostok, which took place on September 5, on the opening day of the Eastern Economic Forum.

“Twelve years ago, there were no more than 390 adult Amur tigers living in our Far Eastern taiga. Today there are about 750 with cubs. This is the result of systematic efforts taken at the state level, but above all a visible embodiment of the well-coordinated, hard work of Russian scientists, enthusiasts and environmental organizations,” the President noted.

Konstantin Chuychenko, Minister of Justice, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Amur Tiger Centre, noted in his speech at the second International Tiger Conservation Forum that over the past 10 years the number of Amur tigers killed by poachers in Russia has decreased by three times. According to the minister, this was achieved due to new amendments to Russian legislation.

“The task is to expand the habitat of the Amur tiger to make it closer to its former borders. Our main achievement is that we have created a reliable protection system, above all for the Amur tiger,” the minister said.

Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, reported on the measures necessary to prevent the population of the Amur tiger in the Far East from declining. He noted that the implementation of the SMART spatial monitoring programme adopted by seven countries (Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Nepal and Russia) helped improve relations between the law enforcement agencies of these countries.

“The tiger population in the Far East has not only been preserved, but is also growing thanks to the consistent policy of the state, as well as public and scientific organisations and caring people who do not necessarily live in the Far East,” the minister said and added that a quarter of the tiger’s habitat is covered currently by national parks and reserves.

“Russia is not the only country where the number of tigers is increasing. According to experts, about 5,000 tigers now live in the wild. Populations have grown in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Indonesia,” said Kozlov.

At the same time, according to the minister, in some countries the tiger population has decreased.

“Of course, we have to find our why this has happened and how tiger keepers like us can help improve the situation,” he said.