|
 The
forests of the Russian Far East are among the last refuges of
the Amur (Siberian) tiger and the extremely rare Amur leopard.
The Wildlife Conservation Society is leading the way to protect
these animals and their habitat.
The Siberian Tiger Project ™, initiated in 1991, continues
to generate information to prevent the extinction of the world's
largest cat — the highly endangered Siberian tiger. This
ambitious project of the Wildlife Conservation Society is a cooperative
effort among top Russian and American wildlife biologists.
The Siberian Tiger Project™ has four main goals:
- collect detailed scientific knowledge needed
to understand how nature provides for the Amur tiger;
- use these data to create a comprehensive conservation
management plan;
- contribute to the development of a new conservation
ethic for the region and model for the world;
- involve the world conservation community.
 Although
the project's initial focus was the tiger, WCS quickly realized
that to conserve the species, it would be necessary to protect
the entire ecosystem upon which the tiger depends. Therefore,
in addition to data provided by our radio-collared tigers, WCS
has included brown bears, black bears and rare Amur leopards in
the study, as these carnivores interact with the tiger, and are
also under pressure from the effects of human development.
Human needs must also be integrated into conservation objectives.
Long-term solutions will be successful only if the needs of local
communities are met by merging conservation plans with sustainable
use of resources, especially the Siberian forest -- the taiga
-- upon which the Siberian tiger's fate depends. Thus, a critical
component is focusing on educating and assisting local people
within tiger habitat, especially children, whose future is inexorably
linked to the survival of the tiger and their shared homeland.
The Minnesota Zoo's Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program donated
$500 to the efforts of the Siberian Tiger Project in honor of
Howard Quigley.
Photos courtesy of Howard Quigley and HWI-WCS
|