– Did Russia manage to achieve the goals of preserving and increasing the tiger population?
– Russia is one of the few countries that has fulfilled its obligations. We have created all the specially protected natural areas that we planned to create. We have modernized the service for the protection of wildlife objects, introduced modern technologies for the registration of animals, dealt with the socio-economic aspects of the protection of this species. Only Russia, India and Nepal managed not only to maintain the population, but also to increase its number. At the moment, the population is estimated at more than 600 individuals, in 2010, let me remind you, there were about 450. Considering that the tiger is still a tropical southern cat, these are great successes. In many countries, the economic development of territories was so large-scale and destructive that the habitats of tigers were completely destroyed. It is difficult to restore them, and often it is simply impossible. Now the south of the Russian Far East is also on the verge of an explosion of economic development. Many large-scale projects are being launched, and our common task is to find a compromise between economic development and nature conservation. Exactly one year later, on the zero day of the EEF, an international forum dedicated to the conservation of tigers will take place. We hope that representatives from all countries of the tiger's range will come to Vladivostok to share their successes and failures.
– Are there any mechanisms of interaction between investors and environmental organizations? Is it possible to find a balance between the interests of a man and a tiger?
– Fortunately, there is. At the initial stage, it is true, but we very much hope that this interaction will be consolidated in the new edition of the strategy for the conservation of the Amur tiger, which is now being developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. It is already clear that the strategy will go beyond the sphere of responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources, so the working group includes almost all federal ministries, as well as representatives of big business. The group is headed by the Minister of Justice Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuichenko. We hope that the strategy will spell out both instruments for state control over business and ways to find compromises. Some large companies are partners and sponsors of the Amur Tiger Center. And if earlier some of them perceived our partnership as a kind of ransom – they say, we give money for the environment, consider that we will compensate for our damage – now they use our professional competencies. And most importantly, everyone already understands that it is easier to come to an agreement with environmentalists before starting a project, than then to enter into senseless wars with them, make mistakes and pay multimillion-dollar fines. We are in favor of the fact that if it is necessary to create production, it should be done as sparingly as possible.
Because the most important thing is the people in the tiger range. If their standard of living is high enough, if they have a well-paid job, then they will not have to run through the forest trying to commit a crime: kill an animal in the Red Book or steal a forest. Nobody needs it. Everyone needs stability.
Fortunately, good trends have emerged. We finally remembered that in Soviet times the Far East was very developed and densely populated. And this did not harm nature in any way. Previous generations have preserved it for us. Our task is to use the same technologies: to develop fish processing, fishing, procurement of non-wood products, to develop ecological tourism.
– Can we say that the previous strategy for the conservation of the tiger population has been implemented?
– The strategy adopted in 2010 for a period of 10 years has been almost completely implemented. From year to year, the number was either stable or growing. And this suggests that the measures were correct.
First of all, we managed to change the legislation. This was precisely the main task of the strategy. Then it seemed that basic laws, such as the criminal code, could not be changed. Especially for the sake of some kind of animals … In the end, it turned out. And the tiger is now a locomotive, because all measures aimed at preserving this species help other Red Book animals as well, because there is no difference between the protection status of a tiger, leopard or polar bear. These are the same animals for the law. And by changing the article of the Criminal Code for the sake of the tiger, we help other species as well. Therefore, we can say that positive changes in the nature protection system in Russia as a whole began with the tiger.
The new version of the strategy will target not only the classic – illegal logging, poaching – but new threats. One of them is African swine fever, which damages not only industrial pig breeding, but also wild livestock. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against ASF yet. An outbreak can kill 100% of the population. Let me remind you that the wild boar is one of the main prey species for the tiger. Therefore, the decline in its population will affect the predator as well. We managed to pass this year safely, as the carcasses of wild boars that died in winter froze, and the tigers successfully found and ate them.
– It should be emphasized here that the African swine fever virus is not terrible for a tiger. As well as a person, fortunately.
– Quite right. Only the boar is under attack. However, ASF outbreaks still have a negative impact on humans. You need to understand that the wild boar is also the main resource for the population. If for the European part of Russia hunting is a kind of entertainment, then beyond the Urals for many it is a means of subsistence. Many taiga villages live in forests. And the wild boar is an important source of meat for them. Therefore, the problem is bigger than it seems. There are several ways to solve it. Everything will depend on the next winter, or rather, on the amount of snow. If it is difficult for deer and red deer, an unpopular measure of closing the hunt will probably be taken. But everyone needs to understand that this will be done so that the population does not remain without hoofed animals in the future.
Fortunately, our Ussuri wild boar has a strong immune system. And the African plague did not completely mow him down. Yes, the number decreased three times, but as a species it remained! And we hope that the measures taken by the state will help solve this problem. It is already known that wild boar is not a source of ASF; the virus is brought into the taiga by humans, when, for example, it takes grain and grain waste to the forest. It has been proven that the virus survives perfectly on grain.
Another part of the new threats is associated with the economic development of the area, with the arrival of people, with their settlement in taiga areas, including under the Far Eastern Hectare program. This is a good program, but it is necessary to develop mechanisms to control the use of plots, because each hectare is a potential source of fires. We from settlements cannot always prevent the fire from leaving the forest, and when people already live in the forest, the risk of such departure is even higher. Many people give birth to farm animals on their hectares, which are capable of introducing dangerous viruses into the taiga … However, all these problems can be solved – at the legislative level, certain services can be empowered to control.
And it is also necessary to say about the transport infrastructure. There are more roads, they become faster. And meetings with animals are inevitable. Such meetings lead to road accidents that are fatal to both animals and humans. Therefore, new roads need to be designed taking into account that animals have the ability to move between areas of the range without going out on the roadway.
– What needs to be done in order to prevent or effectively resolve conflict situations between a tiger and a person?
– Need to work. People who receive “Far Eastern Hectare” in the taiga area, and people already living in settlements near the forest, must be sure that the state will protect them. And animals must understand that the state, protecting the population from animals, will do it most humanely. Such a system of relations has been created. Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory are the only regions that have specialized groups for resolving conflict situations. These are people who drive out, catch or scare away the animal. Here it is also necessary to educate the population, because often in taiga in settlements people do not have fences, dogs run around without a leash, cows graze freely in the forest. And the tiger perceives these animals as its legal prey. An experiment was conducted in the Khabarovsk Territory. They forced the population to take the dogs into the house for the night. And it turned out that the tiger, not finding free dogs, leaves and never returns to this village. It is necessary that in the new version of the Strategy the state strengthens the work of groups to resolve conflict situations, create more centers for overexposure, because along with economic development, the number of conflict situations will grow. And we must be ready to successfully resolve them.
– Is a strategic balance between the economy and the environment possible?
– Modern history shows that yes. I hope that we will continue to develop those positive trends that have already been set. And then they will lead us to the dream: for tigers and people to begin to live in harmony.
