phoenix fund annual report 2009

Phoenix Fund Final report – 2009

Phoenix Fund Conservation projects in Primorye, Russian Far East

January 01 – December 31, 2009

A report to the Zoological Society of London, AMUR and Tigris Foundation (ZAT)

Phoenix Fund Suite 409, 2 Petra Velikogo Street, Vladivostok 690091, Russia Phone: +7-4232-205053 , Fax +7-4232-205048 E-mail: [email protected]: www.phoenix.vl.ru

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mailto:[email protected]

http://www.phoenix.vl.ru/


Acknowledgements Phoenix Fund expresses warm thanks to the Zoological Society of London, AMUR and Tigris Foundations for providing financial support and promoting our activities. This financial and communications assistance has helped us to make the conservation projects listed in this report more successful. The projects described are the result of joint efforts of many organizations, such as the provincial Game and Rare Species Department, Federal Border Guard Service, Police, Inspection Tiger, Udege Legend and Zov Tigra national parks, Lazovsky and Kedrovaya Pad nature reserves, and others. Thanks to support from our sponsors and donations from individuals, we helped increase capacity of the anti-poaching teams to reduce poaching activities, enhance wildlife and habitat protection in Primorye, and increase awareness within the local communities about the importance of wildlife and habitat conservation through education and outreach programs.

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Table of contents

1. Introduction 4

2. Anti-poaching 5

3. Human-wildlife conflict resolution 15

4. Results of Amur Tiger Monitoring Program 22

5. Education in Primorsky region 23

6. Educational materials 36

7. Ecological holidays and festivals 37

8. Eco-campaigns and community involvement 39

9. Journalists’ Award 42

10. Compensation of livestock kills 43

11. Our plans for 2010 43

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Phoenix Fund Final report - 2009

1. Introduction Background information The rich biodiversity of the southern Russian Far East is reflected in its number of protected areas and rare and endangered species. One of the endangered animals that is found today only in Southwest Primorsky krai is the Amur, or Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis). With a total population of 25-34 individuals (census 2007), the Amur leopard is one of the most - if not the most - endangered large felines on Earth. Primorye also represents the only area in the world where the Amur or Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) still exists in the wild. The Amur tiger as well as Amur leopard populations are very vulnerable due to poaching and illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction, prey depletion and many other factors.

Since its establishment in 1998, Phoenix has been carrying out nature conservation projects in the southern Russian Far East and has grown into one of the leading NGOs in Primorye. Our projects are aimed at conserving endangered wildlife of the region and wild habitats through combination of anti-poaching, environmental education and community outreach in close collaboration

with local NGOs, authorities, scientists, mass media, and local people. The Phoenix Fund is a member of the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA). We, together with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), are the main implementing organizations of ALTA in Russia. WCS and ZSL implement ecological research, wildlife health projects, population monitoring and other scientific work in the Amur leopard’s range. Phoenix is engaged in anti-poaching and environmental education and outreach projects. We would not be able to do without our funding partners: 21st Century Tiger, Wildlife Alliance, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Tigris Foundation, and Minnesota Zoo. Through the collaborative work of its members, ALTA covers the full spectrum of conservation activities and addresses all main threats to the survival of the Amur leopard and tiger. Amur tiger population decline The results of the Annual Tiger Monitoring program co-ordinated by our ALTA partner WCS show that the Amur tiger population has substantially declined since the last full-range count in 2005. While more data are needed in order to detemine its exact size, it is already clear that the decline is substantial and that the factors that led to it –most of all increased poaching and logging- need to be addressed without delay. In recent years the Russian government conservation system went through a series of reforms. The main responsibilities for nature conservation and hunting management were transferred from federal authorities to local authorities. As a result the Primorsky and Khabarovsky provinces became responsible for the protection of Amur tigers and leopards as well as other endangered species, game species and their habitat with the exception of federal protected areas. After a very slow start, this new system started to function in 2009. Anti-poaching brigades of the provincial Game and Rare Species Department are now

©GosokhotnadzorTransportation of tiger cub

to rehabilitation centre

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operating in all the administrative districts of the Primorsky province. Although the number of law enforcement staff members protecting wildlife and forest habitat has been increased since the provincial department was formed, the total number of inspectors is still less than was the case before the reforms took place. The decline in the number of law enforcement staff has resulted in a very substantial increase in poaching of both tigers and their prey species. Increased logging (especially of old-growth oak and Korean pine trees whose fruits form a staple diet for most ungulates) have further increased the pressure on the Amur tiger population. Phoenix Fund and ALTA partners have prepared a 60-page document in which we describe in detail the problems that have led to the recent decline in tiger numbers and describe detailed measures that -if implemented- would reverse the situation. The main recommendations are provided in this report. Our work in 2009 In 2009 we increased our efforts to curb poaching of tigers and their prey base. However, the tiger population incurred losses: four adult tigers and a cub died. The good news is that a subadult male tiger was released after a period of rehabilitation and, according to data collected from his radio-collar, the tiger is doing fine and has settled itself in the vicinity of where it was released. This year the Task Force Team of the provincial Game and Rare Species Department, in cooperation with Inspection Tiger and with support from the Phoenix Fund, addressed 21 human-tiger conflict cases in the Primorsky and south Khabarovsky regions, most of them taking place in winter. This represents slightly fewer conflict tiger cases than in 2008. As usual, there were numerous cases when people reported the presence of tiger tracks in the vicinity of human settlements. One person suffered physically from a tiger attack, but fortunately it was not serious.

The Amur leopard/tiger conservation projects described in this report are implemented in Primorye and southern Khabarovsky krai in the Russian Far East. We continue to focus on law enforcement and forest and wildlife patrols as the short-term key to the survival of the species, but at the same time recognize that it is education of the community that will ensure the survival of the tiger and leopard in the long-term. Many of the damaging human activities often result from ecological ignorance of the local people. A great many of them are still unaware of the threats to tigers and leopards and other ecological problems of the region or choose not to take them to heart. In our report we describe Phoenix Fund’s main activities for conservation of the Amur tiger and leopard and their habitat, namely: 1. Anti-poaching; 2. Tiger conflict case resolution; 3. Ecological education and outreach; 4. Livestock compensation payments.

©Regional Protected Areas Department

Red deer

2. Anti-poaching Poaching of prey species (ungulates) is the greatest problem we face. Poachers include relatively rich Russians (both villagers and people from nearby cities) as well as poor locals. In Russia, hunting is an inalienable part of rural life, and poaching of deer, wild

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boar or game bird is never considered a serious crime. The main goal of our anti-poaching activities is to reduce poaching of Amur tigers and leopards and their prey on protected areas, hunting leases, and other land important for these big cats. However, the anti-poaching teams work against all forms of poaching as well as against illegal trade in animal parts and medicinal plants such as ginseng. They also stop illegal logging and detect and work to stop forest fires. Hence, our teams help protect the whole terrestrial ecosystem.

In 2009, Phoenix Fund continued supporting:

- the Khasan team operating in southwest Primorye in the range of the last remaing population of Amur leopards;

- the Khabarovsky anti-poaching team that operates in the south of Khabarovsky krai and the north of Primorye;

- the anti-poaching team of Lazovsky Nature Reserve;

- two mobile teams of the Udege Legend National Park;

- all 15 anti-poaching brigades of the Primorsky Krai Game and Rare Species Department.

As stated in the introduction, the nature protection system in Russia has undergone a reform. In 2008, the responsibility for the protection of wildlife, with the exception of federal protected areas, passed from federal to regional authorities. The Game and Rare Species Department (sometimes called Hunting Management Department because it also manages hunting) was created within the administration of Primorsky krai in order to carry out the new conservation tasks. Another department – the Protected Areas Management Department – supervises regional wildlife refuges. Two national parks, five nature reserves and two federal wildlife

refuges remain subordinate to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation. Since May 2008, Phoenix has been financially supporting both newly established departments in Primorsky Krai. As often happens in Russia, the state provides insufficient budget for the new agencies and, in order to operate effectively, technical and financial assistance from NGOs is needed.

2.1. Khasan anti-poaching team The Phoenix Fund has been financing the Khasan team since 1998. It has developed into one of the most successful anti-poaching teams in the region. At present, the Khasan team consists of three members who have all been part of the team for many years:

1. Eugene Stoma; the team leader and a staff member of Inspection Tiger.

2. Andrei Sobolev; since early July 2009 appointed as law enforcement offiecr of the the Primorsky Krai Game and Rare Species Department (Hunting Management Department).

3. Andrei Onischenko, a former officer of Rosselkhosnadzor and Inspection Tiger.

Each team member can drive various types of transport and knows Khasan district very well. They can travel quickly to any part of Southwest Primorye. All team members have many years of experience in anti-poaching work and in handling predator-human conflicts. They have developed good working relationships with the military service as well as with law enforcement agencies, such as the police and border guard service, with whom they organise joint patrols and investigate violations. From January to June 2009, none of the team members possessed law enforcement rights such as the right to stop and search a car or draw up citations for violations. As a result, the team was fully dependent on close co-operation and joint patrols with agencies that have law enforcement rights such as the

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police, Rosprirodnadzor, the Primorsky Game and Rare Species Department, the Border Guard Service and protected areas. Cooperation with the team is also beneficial for the agencies involved because they can take credit for the law enforcement results. At the end of June one of the team members, Andrei Sobolev, was hired as an enforcement officer by the Primorsky Rare and Endangered Species Department, and as a result the team acquired law enforcement rights.

According to Eugene Stoma, the team leader, poaching persists at the same level as previous years. In 2009, the team made 75 reports on hunting violations and nine reports on fishing violations, initiated four criminal proceedings, confiscated (temporarily or permamently) 63 guns, 22 fishing nets, eight harpoons, two steel snares, 1400 pieces + 150 kg of sea cucumber, 12 bags + 300 kg + 1,000 pieces of king crab, three poached roe deer, three poached wild ducks and two pheasants. 200 shrimps were released. In total, the team imposed fines for hunting violations in the amount of 77,500 roubles ($2,430) and damage payments in the amount of 12,000 roubles ($322). The team paid special attention to preventing poaching in the newly established Leopardovy wildlife refuge, which consists of the united territories of the former Barsoviy

and Borisovskoye Plateau wildlife refuges. During the transformation process the Leopardovy refuge went almost without any protection. The team members set up feeding grounds for wild animals in the refuge and brought salt to three salt licks. Another problematic area is the Nezhenskoye hunting lease. The management of this lease has been deteriorating for some years. The team members saw many hunters in the wetlands and forests that are part of the lease. However, during a seven-day patrol, the team members met none of the lease staff. After talking with hunters, the inspectors found out that hunters never encountered gamekeepers in the field. Given that, the leader of the Khasan team decided that it was important to introduce proper enforcement of the Nezhenskoye hunting lease by conducting more frequent patrols, and did so in the following months. In cooperation with border guards the team patrolled both at sea and in the forest. During one joint operation over 2,000 king crabs and 150 kg of sea cucumber were seized. One criminal proceeding regarding illegal harvest of crab species was instigated. The court imposed a fine of $19,350 on the poachers. Each of the three defendants received a suspended sentence of one and a half years.

© PhoenixKhasan team’s members take poachers

to police office

In the course of the year the Khasan team rangers took part in investigation and resolution of 12 human-animal conflicts, nine with Amur tigers, others with Amur leopards involved or unclear. Below we will describe a few conflict situations that were addressed. On April 20, the team leader Eugene Stoma, received information that a vehicle had hit a female tiger on the main road. For more information see section 3. Human-wildlife conflict resolution, case 8.

In April, the Khasan team inspectors in cooperation with the police and regional Hunting Management Department officers investigated the killing of an Amur leopard after Internal Police Service officers had discovered a skin of an adult Amur leopard in

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a private car. The car’s owner turned out to be a resident of Khasan district. The skin was confiscated and sent to Ussuriisky Agricultural Academy for examination. The experts noted damage to the skin indicating the animal, probably an adult male, had been shot, most likely in 2008 judging by the condition of the skin. An attempt will be made to identify the leopard by comparing its skin with a large collection of Amur leopard camera-trap photos that have been made since 2002 as part of a population monitoring project. Investigation is still in progress. Since ALTA members successfully lobbied for changes in the law in 2008, anyone convicted of killing an Amur leopard or tiger in Russia faces up to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($16,827). We hoped that the Internal Police Service would succeed in tracing and prosecuting the animal’s killer. Unfortunately, we have received no news from the Service yet.

During the spring and autumn fire-seasons, the team was engaged in training a newly established five-member fire-fighting team. This work is part of a fire management project by the Slavyanka municipality (the capital of the main district in the Amur leopard’s range) and our ALTA partner WCS. The project was initiated by WCS and the mayor of Slavyanka, Andrey Yurchenko, the former leader of the Khasan anti-poaching team.

The spring of 2009 was exceptionally dry and windy and this resulted in a very damaging fire season around Slavyanka town. Over 20 moderate or high-intensity fires were revealed, 14 of which were extinguished by the FF team. Volunteers attracted by the hunting leases assisted in putting out the fires.

©PhoenixThe Khasan team gives a lesson

In November, the officers participated in training in the Ussuriiski Agricultural Academy and learned to capture and immobilize tigers.

Besides anti-poaching work, the team members also assisted in environmental education by giving lectures about careful attitude towards nature. Throughout the school year they visited all local schools and gave 12 lessons. Also, the team helped the tutor of the “Rodnichok” (Small spring) eco-center of Slavyanka town re-equip the center’s premises. © Phoenix

Investigation of conflict tiger case 2.2. Anti-poaching brigades of provincial Game and Rare Species Department At present the Primorsky Krai Game and Rare Species Department has 39 field officers on its staff. This includes the four mobile teams and the conflict/CITES team. There are between one to three members per team depending on size and importance for conservation and amount of hunting in a district. In addition, there are four interdistrict quick response teams and a team in charge of conflict cases and trade in CITES-

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regulated species, in cooperation with Customs and border guards.

Each of the officers of the 15 regional teams supervises the issuing of hunting licenses in his administrative district and carries out regular patrols in the hunting grounds in order to prevent illegal hunting activities. The number of patrol teams and their conservation field staff is undoubtedly insufficient to curb poaching in Primorsky Krai region, the area of which is 165 900 square kilometers (64,000 square miles), or almost twice the size of the country Austria. The number of inspectors should be increased three or four times in order to make effective protection possible. For the period January 1st – December 18th 2009, the Department’s teams made 4,077 patrols, 32 scheduled checks of hunting grounds and 9 off-schedule checks. During the planned checks the team sees if all the documents are valid, equipment is in good state (e.g. regarding fire-prevention standards), and if the lease anti-poaching field staff fulfill their duties. In the course of 2009, the team revealed 1,846 violations, confiscated 324 pieces of illegal gear (47 rifles, 230 shotguns, 47 snares, traps and other hunting devices), and 245 poached animals and birds, including

114 ungulates (red deer, roe deer, musk deer, wild boar). The officers imposed 2,019 fines for administrative violations, 396 damage compensations, and passed 159 files to agencies for further proceedings: 51 to law enforcement agencies (police, Prosecutor’s etc.), 92 to justices of the peace and 16 to other agencies.

©PhoenixState Hunting Management Department

officers check hunters’ documents

©PhoenixOfficers make feeding grounds

2.3. Khabarovsky anti-poaching team The team consists of two Inspection Tiger officers and a wildlife manager who have been part of the team for eight years. The team cooperates with the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (to initiate criminal proceedings efficiently), police departments of Khabarovsk city, Lazo (in Khabarovsky region, not to mix with Lazovsky in Primorsky region) and Vyazemsky districts and Federal Security Bureau specialists (to conduct joint patrols and initiate criminal proceedings), Fish and Hunting Departments of Rosselkhoznadzor, gamekeepers and employees of the protected areas (to conduct joint patrols, obtain information, use motorboats and other transport) and mass media (to cover team’s activities and nature conservation issues). At present the primary goal of Inspection Tiger is keeping the Red Book (list of endangered species) of the Russian Federation and controlling the observance of the Strategy of Conservation of Rare and Disappearing Animals, Plants and Mushrooms, approved by the Ministry of

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Natural Resources in 2004. As the team leader – Inspection Tiger officer – has no power to file charges, he has to work with representatives of appropriate state agencies.

From January 1st to December 1st, 2009 the team carried out 67 anti-poaching patrols, issued 37 citations on environmental violations, filed 22 administrative actions against violators, seized 24 rifles (permanently in case of an unregistered or illegal gun, and temporarily before the fine and/or damage compensation is paid) and 130 kg of wild meat, captured one Amur tiger and transported it to Utyos Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and initiated five criminal proceedings. In the course of the year the inspectors regularly investigated reports of tiger presence near human settlements and dealt with tigers (and also bears) that posed a threat to people. In February, the inspectors went to the Utyos Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Kutuzovka village to witness a postmortem examination of a tiger cub. The animal was transported to Utyos a couple of days before for rehabilitation and release back into the wild. Unfortunately, the predator died the day after its arrival. The postmortem revealed that the cub died due to pneumonia. On April 22, Eduard Yanovski, the team leader, received information that a tiger had

come to the site of a topographical survey. The team members questioned the workers and found out that a tiger had come within close proximity of the site. First he was calm and then suddenly started growling and went away only when the people turned on a chainsaw. It later appeared again and behaved the same. The inspectors find out that the tiger had 8 cm (3.1 inches) paw width, meaning the tiger was still a juvenile and judging by its behaviour and appearance, it may have been an orphan. According to the topographers, it looked very skinny. The inspectors gave recommendations to the people on how to avoid accidents with conflict tigers. The tiger did not appear again. On April 27, the Khabarovsky Department of Federal Nature Use Service (Rosprirodnadzor) received information that a tiger, presumably knocked down by a vehicle, was hanging around near the highway and behaved aggressively to passing cars. The Khabarovsky team of Inspection Tiger caught the animal with a fishing net and brought it to the Utyos Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near Khabarovsk. Preliminary examination showed it was about six years old, without any visible injuries though it was exhausted and inert. It is most likely that the tiger suffered from a disease named canine distemper. Unfortunately the tiger died in July. For more information, see section 3 Human-wildlife conflict resolution, case 9.

©PhoenixThe Khabarovsky team investigates

deer poaching

©Inspection TigerTiger roaming indifferently among cars

In September, the team received information from the emergency service about a man badly injured by a wild animal. The team

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immediately went to the scene with police officers for inspection. It was ascertained that Mr. Byagin was hunting ducks in the Golubichny waterhole and came dangerously close to a bear with little cubs. Protecting its cubs, the female bear attacked the man and ran off into the forest. The hunter, who had suffered from a serious loss of blood, was transported to the hospital by his friends. He recovered well. 2.4. Anti-poaching team of Lazovsky Nature Reserve Located in the south-east of Primorsky region, Lazovsky Nature Reserve is the second biggest reserve in the region (121,000 ha, or 640 square miles). Nowadays, there are about 10 to 12 resident or frequently visiting tigers. The Lazovsky Nature Reserve is among the best managed reserves in Russia judging by the quality of its protection, education and outreach activities. The federal reserve does not get sufficient federal funding for its protection. Since 2005 the Phoenix Fund has been supporting the activities of the reserve’s anti-poaching teams. There are four of them in the reserve (in total, about 25 anti-poaching inspectors). For the reported period, the anti-poaching staff of the Lazovsky nature reserve made five reports on hunting violations, three reports on a fishing violation, and 60 reports on trespassing. One person was stopped for picking wild plants inside the reserve; six smoothbore guns, 80 kg of poached game meat and two whole poached animals (deer and pheasant) were confiscated. The officers initiated seven criminal proceedings, and three violators have been already sentenced to fines and damage compensations. The four-member rapid response team backed up patrol teams in their work to prevent violations in the reserve, especially in hunting and fire-dangerous seasons. It is a mobile team that works all over the territory and consists of the most experienced people. The officers also participated in a tiger census. The officers used an UAZ all-terrain vehicle, motor boats, photo cameras, authorized arms

and other necessary equipment. Most of the time they patrol the territory on foot. The rapid response team worked 10-11 days in a row each month. The other patrol teams usually leave on a patrol in the morning and return in the evening of the same day, and only occasionally make longer patrols of 2-3 days maximum. Special attention was paid to the coastal part of the reserve and forests along the coast, as two endangered species – goral and sika deer – live there. The sea was patrolled by motorboat. The reserve is partly located on the sea shore, and it is necessary to prevent illegal fishing of sea animals (trepang, scallops etc). The purpose of this reserve is to conserve both terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Also, the officers laid ambushes in the places where they expected poachers operating in boats to come ashore.

©PhoenixLa rzo reserve ranger discovered a poached dee

In winter, due to heavy snowfalls for both the rapid response team and other anti-poaching team, it became much easier to track down violators by following their footprints and car tracks using a snowmobile. On January 22, the inspectors apprehended two brothers who were leaving the reserve with the meat of two poached Himalayan / Asiatic Black bears (recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List). The reserve guards called police officers to register the violation and initiate criminal proceedings. After mid-April, ungulates (deer, wild boars) started coming to salt licks, so the anti-poaching brigades paid special attention to natural salt licks both inside the reserve and

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on adjacent territories. Also, they watched over man-made salt licks located on the adjacent area with the reserve. While checking one of the licks, the inspector found a dead female sika deer caught in a snare. They buried the animal and removed the snare. In August and September patrol numbers were increased in the neighboring bays where many people came on vacation. The reserve rents the part of the beach with tourist cabins in order to generate additional income.

In 2009 the reserve staff put out three large forest fires of 300 ha in total, larger than one square mile. The fires were the result of uncontrolled burning of nearby fields. The last burning happened in November 2009, two km from Lazo village, and as a result of strong wind it took the team three days to extinguish it. The anti-poaching team worked effectively in the reserve and in the adjacent Preobrazhensky forest. As a result, unauthorized entries into the reserve were reduced to a minimum. The reserve’s inspectors also took part in a tiger count and participated in the resolution of a tiger conflict case. They tried to scare three 7-9-month-old tiger cubs away from Preobrazhenye village that is located close to the reserve. The cubs were preying on dogs on the outskirts of Preobrazhenye village. All in all, ten dogs disappeared from the villagers’ yards in January 2009. Local people were scared of the tigers and kept their dogs on a leash. The reserve’s staff used 12 rocket parachute signal flares to deter the predators.

In April, an oil spill at sea resulted in contamination of Proselochnaya and Zarya Bays and the reserve’s beaches were polluted. The reserve’s staff collected over fifty tons of the oil-sand mixture, and the bags with the oil were stockpiled on the coast. The shoreline of the protected area was threatened with re-contamination if the wastes were not taken away promptly. In strong winds the dangerous pollutants could appear again in the sea, and if the weather was hot the plastic bags could start leaking and the oil might penetrate deeply into the soil. There was an urgent need to remove the oily waste from the reserve’s shoreline and transport it to a special plant in Vladivostok city for final disposal. Unfortunately, Lazovsky NR did not have special mechanical equipment to transport the collected waste. Therefore, Phoenix appealed to the public. All funds raised – about $700 - were immediately transferred to cover transportation costs of the recovered waste and its disposal.

©PhoenixLazo reserve fights fires

©PhoenixCollecting oil from the reserve bay

2.5. Two mobile anti-poaching teams of the Udege Legend National Park Udege Legend National Park, named after the indigenous Udege tribe, was established in 2007. The park has an area of 890 km2 (343 sq. miles) and is covered with beautiful old-growth mixed forests and contains high quality tiger habitat. Hunting and logging are not allowed inside the park, but fishermen who obtain a permit are allowed to fish with fishing rods (not with nets) in the park’s large rivers. At present, the park employs 25 inspectors who conduct patrols to prevent poaching, illegal logging and fires. They are also on the alert to

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resolve any predator-human conflicts and emergencies (people disappearing in taiga, first aid etc). In early 2009, a second five-man mobile team was formed to strengthen anti-poaching activities within the Park. Two teams, with permanent team leaders in each, continue working in shifts, with rangers rotating in teams on a regular basis.

In 2009, senior inspectors organized special training sessions for the park’s new law enforcement staff to improve their skills such as investigating and reporting wildlife crimes and handling conflict cases between predators and humans. The tiger safety training session covered the information necessary for living, working, and recreating in tiger habitat. Other training sessions were devoted to reporting procedures for tiger-human interactions, interview procedures, incident scene investigation, incident response scenarios and procedures, firearms handling and use of deterrent devices. The Government provided inspectors with some field outfits, though they were not sufficient and were of mediocre quality. Thanks to support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pacific Environment, the law enforcement staff was equipped with summer camouflage suits, winter reversible suits, raincoats, web gear, ankle boots, winter boots, cold weather uniforms, caps, hats, thermal underwear, waders, high boots, knives and backpacks. Also, special patches were produced and sewn onto the uniforms so that everybody can easily recognise the law enforcement inspectors. A video camera

for one anti-poaching team was purchased so that the inspectors could take pictures during their fieldwork and investigation of wildlife crimes. Thanks to support from the Save the Tiger Fund, a satellite phone is at the teams’ disposal. The Kolmarden Fundraising Foundation provided funds to purchase an additional snowmobile. All in all, the law enforcement staff conducted over 62 multi-day patrols, checked 398 visitors, issued 119 citations (54 for illegal fishing, 15 for trespassing - people came without obtaining a permit at the Park’s office of at the check-point, and 50 for illegal presence with firearms), visited four recreation centers forty-two times and six hunter’s lodges on the adjacent area fifty times to ensure compliance with wildlife and forest laws, seized 24 fishing nets (only fishing with fishing rods is allowed), and imposed fines and compensation of damage to nature totaling $9,985.

© PhoenixYuri Trusch, Udege Legend senior officer,

checking gun license

© PhoenixThe team patrols the protected territory

During the reported period an innovation was introduced in law enforcement activities in the Park to control influx of tourists. In addition to a permanent checkpoint at the entrance of the Park, a mobile checkpoint (a military cross-country vehicle GAS-66) was used at places where it was possible to control the situation on the road and the river simultaneously. The entrance to the Park is only possible by the road or by crossing the river. The method gave positive results and


will be used from now on at places with high visitor numbers.

Thanks to our sponsors, the Park’s teams are well-equipped with fire-fighting equipment. Fortunately, in 2009 there were no serious burns inside the protected area itself or on the adjacent areas. June and August 2009 witnessed abundant rainfalls that caused floods in the national park and nearby human settlements. A very large amount of water on the Park’s roads hindered the inspectors in their efforts to conduct anti-poaching activities. The rise in water level due to heavy rains cut off most areas of the Park. The checkpoint at the entrance of the park was half-submerged under water. Some bridges over the rivers in the Park were destroyed. Instead of fighting fires during the two months, the law enforcement staff had to carry out relief operations in the flood-affected villages. As the Park develops its infrastructure and extends its range of services, the law enforcement staff becomes more and more involved in activities not relating directly to anti-poaching work, but which are equally important. Additional activities include escorting visitors, ensuring the safety of the participants of Young Inspector’s Summer Camp, giving lectures to the summer camp participants (mainly children of Dalny Kut village that borders on the Park) about law enforcement work, etc.

While patrolling the protected area, the inspectors addressed anglers, hikers, and other visitors in order to instruct them about the park’s rules of conduct. Also, the senior staff of the Park gave several training sessions to teach the park’s employees how to communicate with local people and provide information about the park's natural and cultural treasures.

©PhoenixAfter storm

© Phoenix FundCamping sites developed by the inspectors

In October 2009, two Phoenix staff members conducted an anonymous opinion poll in the three villages closest to the Park: Novopokrovka, Roschino and Krasny Yar. The results showed that 80% of people approved of the Park’s creation, and a majority of the respondents considered the recent court decision to decrease the size of the park by 33% unreasonable. Thanks to financial aid from ZAT, the Park converted one of the rooms of its office in Dalny Kut village into an arms lock box. According to the Russian law, such a room should have steel plated walls to prevent break-in. From now on the Park officers are authorized to carry guns when on patrol. Before, they had no such right because of the absence of a proper storage room.

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3. Human-wildlife conflict resolution In 2009, Phoenix suggested the governmental agencies introduce a new system of conflict case resolution: a special Task Force was created within the Game and Rare Species Department (GRSD) of Primorsky Province that responds in conflict situations where tigers or leopards become a serious treat to humans or livestock. The suggestion was approved by the agency, and Phoenix secures funds for its functioning. This team cooperates with a network of stakeholders, including Inspection Tiger, Wildlife Conservation Society, nature reserves specialists, etc. In 2009, the Task Force of the GRSD dealt with twenty-one conflict tiger situations. They resulted in four tiger deaths, and two captured tigers (one died, the other was released in the wild). Tigers caused damage in the deaths of 14 dogs and four horses. Details of these cases follow.

Case 01/09 (Lazovsky district of Primorye)

In January 2009, Galina Salkina, the senior staff scientist of Lazovsky Nature Reserve,

and her colleagues tried to scare three 7-9-month-old tiger cubs away from human settlement. The cubs were preying on dogs on the outskirts of Preobrazhenye village. All in all, ten dogs disappeared from the villagers’ yards. Local people were scared of the tigers and kept their dogs on a leash. The tiger specialists used 12 rocket signal flares to deter the predators. During the first week of February, Preobrazhenye village was beset by three tiger cubs. As luck would have it, the tigers presented no threat to human life. On February 4, tiger tracks were found around the local water supply point. Also, tiger tracks were discovered on the opposite side of the village near the houses. In February the predators killed one more dog at one of the yards, dragged it away and ate it up in taiga.

© Phoenix FundMaking arms lock box

The specialists of Lazovsky Nature Reserve tried to find out why the cubs were wandering for over a month without their mother. When tracking the young predators the scientists sometimes found tracks that belonged to an adult tigress. However, it was not clear whether it was their mother or just a tigress roaming alone. It was obvious that the cubs could survive in taiga on their own. They managed to kill a sika deer and ate it over several days. But it was quite clear that dogs were the easiest prey for them. Therefore, the specialists of Lazovsky Nature Reserve drove around the village on a regular basis and used flares to scare the tigers away deep into the forest where ungulates abound. At night on March 3, one of the three cubs hid itself in a barn in the outskirts of the village. When the owner entered, the tiger tried to get out, and bit the man on the shoulder and head. The wounded man was taken to hospital where he received treatment. The cub escaped and did not return. The version of the tiger attack in Preobrazhenie village on March 4, 2009 raised doubt among the specialists from Lazovsky Nature Reserve and the officers of Police Department, who pursue investigation. After interrogation of witnesses and the aggrieved villager along with examination of the scene of an incident, several contradictions with the primary story told by the victim emerged. For instance, it turned

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out that the tiger was injured before it attacked the man. The possibility is that the victim himself had wounded the tiger and was subsequently attacked in retaliation. The others tigers stopped killing dogs and returned to the forest.

Case 02/09 (Partizansky district of Primorye)

On January 26, 2009 the headquarters of the Game and Rare Species Department (Regional Hunting Management Department) received information that a tiger cub had been seen near Avangard village of Partizansky district, Southern Primorye, Russia. No tracks of an adult tiger were found in its vicinity. Immediately upon obtaining the information, the Department’s inspectors went to the scene to search for the animal. When they approached the village the inspectors looked carefully for tracks because, due to deep snow, the tiger cub would likely walk along the road. About 100 meters away from the village houses, the inspectors encountered dogs’ tracks together with fresh tiger tracks (7 cm/2.8 inches paw size) suggesting that the tiger was preying on the dogs. The trail led to an abandoned mine. The inspectors asked the workers whether they had seen a tiger or heard anything recently. As it turned out there had very recently been a dog fight near the mine building. Among the numerous dogs’ tracks there was one that belonged to the tiger cub. The inspectors spotted an ear of one dog that was torn off and bled, which meant the tiger was somewhere around. Having examined the building and underground pipelines they found the scared animal. After blocking the exits the inspectors contacted specialists of the Wildlife Conservation Society-Russia (WCS) who arrived in the evening and finally caught the tiger. The animal was taken to Ussuriisk town for a temporary stay at Ussuriisky Nature Reserve. The next day tiger specialists conducted an examination of the cub that turned out to be a 3–4-month-old tigress. The general condition of the cub was satisfactory although it was very skinny. However, after a short period in

care the cub’s condition got better and the animal was transported to Utyos Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where it should have been prepared for a release back into the wild. Unfortunately, the tigress died on February 11. A postmortem examination revealed that the animal had been ailing due to a lung desease.


On February 4, wildlife specialists of the Game and Rare Species Department received a call from the owners of a horse breeding enterprise in Partizansky district who informed them about a tiger attack on their livestock. The Task Force of GRSD went to the scene to investigate the case. The inspectors ascertained that a herd of horses was always left unattended in unfenced pastures and horses were easy targets for predators. On February 2, at night a tiger attacked a mare and two colts. The next morning a herder found the mare lying on the ground with its legs torn and scratched. Also, two colts had bites and scratches left supposedly by a striped predator. On February 3 the tiger (about 9 cm paw width) went towards Uglekamensk village where it killed a dog at one of the households. The tiger ate a dog’s leg and entrails and went away. On February 4 the predator returned to its kill, ate up the remnants and continued towards Melnichnoye village. The inspectors talked to the dog’s owner and found out that the gate of his yard was always kept open, which had allowed the tiger to enter the yard easily. The wildlife specialists covered 3 km tracking the tiger. No tiger tracks near Melnichnoye village were found. The inspectors met with local people, handed out the guidelines on human behavior in tiger habitat and gave a phone number so that villagers could inform them about tiger presence. The wildlife specialists believe that the tiger is too young to prey on wild ungulates, and therefore it attacked domestic livestock. As it probably had never been scared by people, the Task Force took scaring measures using flares and gun shots in the air.

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Case 04/09

(Partizansky district of Primorye)

In early February another tiger conflict case occurred near Khmelnitskoye village of Partizansky district. An approximately 4-month-old Amur tiger killed a dog in a barnyard and did not want to leave the village. On February 11, specialists of Task Force went to Khmelnitskoye village where, according to a gamekeeper of the local hunting and fishing society, tigers showed undesirable behaviour. First, a free-grazing horse fell victim to them, and then a backyard dog was attacked. After following tiger tracks in the snow for about 300 m from the village, the inspectors saw a 5-6 month tiger cub (thought to be the same individual as before) eating dog remnants. When it saw the inspectors approaching, the animal disappeared into the forest. Most likely an adult tigress was using a beaten track to find food for her young.

Locals say the tigress chose to live in the outskirts of the village about two years ago and acts up from time to time. Gamekeepers from Partizansky hunting lease claim that there are as many as six tigers that significantly reduce the number of roe deer and especially young wild boar.

On February 28, wildlife specialists of the GRSD caught an emaciated tiger cub that had hidden in a kennel. It was certainly the same animal. It was moved to a special enclosure of Inspection Tiger in Razdolnoye village, Primorsky krai, where it was examined by a veterinarian. The tiger was approximately 5-months old. Its nose was torn most probably by dogs.

The specialists closely watched the cub for three weeks. At first, it was supposed that its mother had left the young for a while. However, when tracing the tigress the specialists found tracks that belonged to another tiger cub. It is unlikely that the tigress lost contact with one of her cubs and continued to take care of her second cub, and therefore it is likely that the first cub was an orphan from another tigress that had died. Driven by starvation the cub started hunting for dogs and ultimately was caught by wildlife specialists in a kennel.

© Inspection TigerScientists immobilize the cub

before transporting it to Dr.Yudin’s centre in Gaivoron village

© Phoenix Fund/Game and Rare Species Department

A cub before its trip to Razdolnoye village

The cub was in observation for two months in a special facility run by Inspection Tiger in Razdolnye village near Ussuriisk town and proved to have all chances for future reintegration into its natural habitat. On May 28, after a long discussion among state environmental agencies and NGOs, the orphaned tiger cub was brought to Dr. Yudin’s scientific centre in Gaivoron village,

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Spassky district of Primorye. There it was rehabilitated and taught to hunt deer. This center belongs to Biology & Soils Institute, Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Inspection Tiger is responsible for bringing sika deer for feeding. Phoenix Fund, IFAW and Severtsev Institute signed an agreement and shared the costs of rehabilitation. On September 16, after a six-month rehabilitation, the 14-month old Amur tiger cub was radio-collared and safely released into the wild near the Ussuriisky Nature Reserve, Primorsky krai, Russian Far East. As soon as the young predator saw the door open it jumped out of the cage and instantly disappeared into the forest. The whole event lasted no more than couple of seconds and only a few people, including Phoenix staff, managed to film the tiger’s “jump to freedom”. (http://phoenix.vl.ru/index.php?pg=1253077762) Severtsev Institute for Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Science immobilized and monitored the animal during transportation and after the release. This federal institution carries out the governmental Amur tiger research project in Ussuriisky Nature Reserve, which started with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Primorye and capture of the first tigress for radio-collaring in September 2008. Since its release, Russian scientists have been closely monitoring the tiger’s health and wellbeing. The tiger is alive, and signs coming from his collar show that he is living not far from where he was released.

Case 05/09 (Terneisky district of Primorye)

In February it was reported that a tiger cub had come up to a school building in Samarga village, Terneisky district of Primorye. The young predator was observed snarling at passersby. The head of the local airport killed the cub. The specialists of the regional Game and Rare Species Department went to the scene to investigate the circumstances of

the incident. The regional Prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal procedure on the basis of an endangered animal killing, but as the violator is a relative to a staff member of the Terneisky district Prosecutor’s office, the case has not moved forward, and is still open.

Case 06/09

(Krasnoarmeisky district of Primorye)

On March 5, 2009 the anti-poaching brigade of the Udege Legend National Park discovered tracks of a snowmobile during a patrol. The inspectors supposed the snowmobile was used for hunting, which is prohibited in the Park. Following the tracks the team reached a winter hut located inside the PA. 800 meters away from the hut the inspectors met two armed people, who introduced themselves as the winter hut’s watchmen. These men were carrying loaded rifles but did not have gun licenses. They were apprehended since presence in the national park with a firearm is equal to illegal hunting. Having examined the winter hut the inspectors found an aluminum tank with tiger parts, paws and skin inside.

© Phoenix FundTiger parts in an aluminum tank

Trying to explain the contents of the tank the “watchmen” said they had found remnants of a Manchurian deer and a dead tiger by it, so they had decided to take the tiger corpse to feed the dogs. The story was quite doubtful and the two men were accompanied to the Krasnoarmeisky district police station for

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http://phoenix.vl.ru/index.php?pg=1253077762

http://phoenix.vl.ru/index.php?pg=1253077762


further investigation and a decision about initiating a criminal procedure on illegal hunting and probable killing of the tiger. The snowmobile that was likely used to shoot the predator was confiscated. The police refused to investigate so the criminal proceedings were dropped, and the snowmobile was returned. The winter hut (more like a house) was built a few years ago by a businessman from Vladivostok city, who rented the hunting lease with the Primorsky region administration’s approval. After the establishment of the Udege Legend national park, hunting became prohibited and in November 2008 the lease contract was abrogated. However the businessman was delaying the enforcement of the court decision and refused to repurpose the base for a tourist camp. Moreover he tried to get permission from the park’s authorities to keep on hunting. According to the information obtained from residents of Dalny Kut village situated at the border of the national park, a group of people from Vladivostok, who were probably hunting illegally in the park, was seen at the camp two weeks before the incident. The hut is still in the Park but is expected to be removed soon.

Case 07/09 (Lazovsky district of Primorye)

On March 18, 2009 an 8-month-old tigress was found dead on the 4th km of Preobrazhenye-Kievka road in Lazovsky district of Primorye. The dead animal was immediately transported to Lazovsky Nature Reserve. The day after, a postmortem examination was carried out in the reserve’s laboratory to discover the cause of the tiger’s death. The postmortem revealed that the cub had died two weeks earlier from natural causes; emaciation and brown atrophy of cardiac and skeletal muscle aggravated by partial intestinal obstruction.

Case 08/09 (Khasan district of Primorye)

At 6 a.m. on April 20, 2009 the head inspector of Khasansky team of Inspection Tiger Zhenya Stoma received information from a driver about an injured tiger. Immediately upon obtaining the information the Khasansky team inspectors went to the scene. In the area of the Narva River they noticed that a road surface was stained with blood and there was a young tiger lying near the wayside. The injured animal turned out to be a three-to-five-year-old tigress. Her rear part was smashed and skinned and the inspectors assumed it had been run over by a car. Also, there were fragments of broken bumper and shattered headlight at the scene of the incident. The female tiger did not show any aggression but the inspectors guarded the animal against any undesirable curiosity of passersby and the tiger’s possible attack.

© Phoenix Fund

Injured tigress found on the roadside,

20 April 2009

The specialists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS-Russia) and a veterinarian went to the site of the accident and immobilized the predator. It was transported to Ussuriisk Agricultural Academy for examination to determine the possibility of medical treatment and further rehabilitation. Unfortunately, a team of veterinarians was unanimous that the tigress with a broken backbone had practically no chance of survival. Thus, Rosprirodnadzor agency

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applied to Moscow for permission to euthanise the animal.

Case 09/09 (Khabarovsky krai)

On April 27, a 6-year-old male tiger that showed no fear at all and was attacking cars on the Vladivostok–Khabarovsk federal highway, causing a traffic jam, was captured and brought to the rehabilitation centre “Utyos” that is located … km from Khabarosk. At first it was assumed that the tiger had been hit by a car, however preliminary examination revealed no visible injuries. The animal seemed exhausted and did not move much. Eduard Kruglov, the rehab centre Director, did not rule out the possibility of disease or poison, but a thorough medical examination didn’t reveal any infectious diseases or poison. The young male tiger was treated and fed fresh meat, milk and fish oil in order to get back into shape. We hoped the tiger would make a full recovery and could be released back into the wild.

In May the tiger’s health began to improve. The animal ate and drank independently and regained his natural instinct to conceal himself from approaching people. On average, the tiger ate 8.5 kg of meat every day and was kept in the second (remote) enclosure of “Utyos” centre. It was expected that the tiger could soon be released into a

large enclosure with natural habitat where he could live without direct human contact and where he could be tested to see if he had regained sufficient strength to hunt and – eventually – be released back into the wild. It is sad that, in spite of our hopes and the positive signs, the tiger died unpexpectedly in July.

Cases 10-16/09 (Shkotovski district of Primorye)

In May-July, the Task Force received, in total, seven phonecalls from various locations in Primorye about cases where tigers appeared in or near human settlements. Some of them were about the same cases. Below, you find a short account of the three cases that the Task Force investigated. In one case, on May 18, a tiger had killed three goats and a dog in a village named Solovey Klutch. By the time the team arrived on the scene, no fresh tiger tracks were found. The tiger had left the scene and didn’t return. The team travelled to Shkotovka village to check information about a tiger attack. They found out that two dogs were left to run in the forest and never returned home. However, nobody saw a tiger. It was impossible to say that the dogs had been attacked by a tiger. The head of Rozhdestvenka village reported a tiger coming there several times, but no tiger tracks were found in the neighborhood (though a dog had disappeared from a backyard).

©Inspection TigerIll tiger arrived to Utyos centre


In August, one tiger-human conflict occurred. On August 11 residents of a village in Partizansky district called about a tiger sighting in the village. Upon arriving on the scene, the Task Force specialists determined that a big male Amur tiger had passed the human settlement and killed a Caucasus mountain dog on the outskirts. As the tiger

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had not fully eaten the dog, the inspectors set-up an ambush and waited for the predator. But the striped animal did not come back and never appeared in Khmalnitskoye again.

Cases 18-19/09 (Lesozavodsky district of Primorye)

In November, the Task Force of the Game and Rare Species Department investigated two tiger-human conflicts. It was reported that a tiger had killed a calf and injured a cow in Turgenyevo village, Lesozavodsky district of Primorye. The domestic animals had been attacked when left unattended one kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the village. The cow later also succumbed to its injuries. The Task Force specialists arrived at the scene to investigate the case. They did not manage to find any evidence that the animals had been killed by a tiger. The wounds show that it might have been a wolf. The same case occurred in Melniki village. A cow was left unattended and was later found dead. A farmer supposed that it was a tiger that had killed his cow. However, the Task Force specialists found no evidence to prove the farmer’s claim.

Case 20/09 (Khabarovsky krai)

On November 12, the Khabarovsky team of Inspection Tiger received information from a Rosprirodnadzor specialist about tiger cub presence near the Katen river valley. The cub was said to be unable to feed itself. Immediately, the team set off to the scene and questioned a hunter who was constantly hunting there. The hunter knew nothing about the cub, but promised to inform the leader of the Khabarovsky team if the tiger appeared there. When examining the river valley one kilometer downstream, the team members found tracks of a young tiger (5-7 cm paw width) approximately three weeks old. Due to lack of snow cover it was hard to search for signs of tiger presence in that area. It was decided to examine the area again when stable snow cover appeared.

Case 21/09

(Lazovsky district of Primorye) On November 14-15 at night, before it snowed, a tiger killed a dog on the outskirts of Preobrazheniye village and ate half of it. Galina Salkina, a tiger specialist of the Lazovsky nature reserve, fixed a sound rocket there. The following night the tiger came and took away the remnants of the dog. Unfortunately, the rocket did not work. Afterwards, it snowed a great deal, and local people reported three instances of tiger tracks found around the village and in the summer cottage area. The staff went to check the information and came to a conclusion that the tracks had been made by big dogs.

*** In addition to addressing conflict cases, the Task Force of the Game and Rare Species Department gathered data on illegal trade in tiger body parts and derivatives, smuggling attempts and other information relating to the Amur tiger and other CITES species. Below, there is description of two cases indicating that we have lost two more tigers.

© WWFTiger skeleton seized in August 2009

On August 28, 2009 a Chinese man’s attempt to smuggle a tiger skeleton was foiled at the customs checkpoint in Kraskino village, Khasan district. The Chinese man was caught red-handed for smuggling. The bones in a plastic bag that were seized from the

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man belonged to a young tiger. We are sorry to note that the violator did not get proper punishment because he was not found guilty of killing the tiger. He confessed only to transporting the skeleton of endangered species. In Russia punishments for illegal possession, transportation and trade are much lower than the punishment for killing a protected animal. For example: the maximum fine of 2,000 rubles (approximately US$68) for illegal possession or trade of a tiger skin or set of bones is ridiculously low compared to the potential profit. If investigation had managed to identify a person who killed the tiger he would have had to pay a fine of 500,000 rubles ($16,827).

Evidence of illegal hunting was recorded on October 15, 2009 when the dried and decomposed remains of a young male tiger were found in Nadezhdenskiy district (bordering with Khasan district) in Southern Primorye. Holes in the tiger’s skull indicated that it had been killed by two shots to its head. Unfortunately, investigation did not reveal involvement of any person in this crime. Facts on tiger cubs During its first days in its taiga cave, a cub weighs about a kilogram; by three months it grows to 10 kg; a 6-month-old cub weighs 30 kg; and it will reach 100 kgs by about two years. They live on their mother's milk for 6-8 weeks before the female begins taking them to kills to feed. They begin making their own kills at about 18 months of age. Young tigers leave their mother's range at anywhere from a year and a half to three years of age, depending on whether the mother has another litter. 4. Results of the Amur Tiger Monitoring Program and measures to halt the decline in tiger numbers In October 2009, the Wildlife Conservation Society made public the results of their Annual Tiger Monitoring Program. The

standardized annual monitoring acts as an “early warning system” in case substantial changes in population numbers occur between the full-range counts which are held only once every 10 years. This monitoring program covers 16 sample sites dispersed across the entire range of tiger habitat in the Primorsky and Khabarovsky provinces, totaling 23,555 km2 (approximately 15-18% of suitable tiger habitat). Twice each winter 246 routes with a total length of 3,057 km are surveyed to assess changes in tiger numbers, cub production and relative prey densities. Since the last full range count in 2005, the results of the annual monitoring program have shown alarming downward trends for both tigers and prey: • 13 of 15 (87%) sites show declining

trends for red deer; • 12 of 16 (75%) sites show declining

trends for roe deer; • 9 of 16 (56%) sites show declining tiger

track densities; • 12 of 16 (75%) sites show declining tiger

densities based on expert assessments. (WCS data, 2009) According to WCS specialists, tiger and prey numbers are declining simultaneously and this indicates that shortage of prey is not the main factor driving the drop in the tiger numbers. Most likely both ungulates and tigers suffer directly from the same factor: increased poaching. Research over the past 15 years has shown that natural deaths are rare among Amur tigers; 60-85% of tiger mortalities are due to poaching. Poaching levels have now reached a point where tiger reproduction is no longer able to compensate for the losses. Additional monitoring data are required to determine the exact size of the decline, however there is no doubt that the decline is real and substantial and that factors that have contributed to the decline need to be addressed immediately. We believe that a combination of factors led to the decline; fewer inspectors enforcing hunting, wildlife conservation and logging regulations, an economic crisis, and a winter with exceptional snowfall.

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A main factor is the administrative reform that took place during the past two years in which the responsibility for protecting wildlife was handed over to regional authorities. During this transition period, there was an obvious lack of wildlife protection in the forests. Before the reform, about 80 law enforcement inspectors were patrolling the tiger habitat in Primorsky krai and by the year 2008 this number dropped to 19. It is not only the number of inspectors enforcing wildlife conservation and hunting regulations that has dropped, the same is true for the number of inspectors enforcing logging regulations. An increase in unsustainable logging of especially old growth Korean pine and oak stands (species that provide a staple diet for most ungulates) has contributed to a decline in tiger prey numbers. An economic crisis burst out and this made poor villages even more dependent on nearby forests as a source of food and cash income required for the survival of their families. On top of this, exceptional snowfall decimated ungulate numbers in several parts of Primorye, and remaining ungulates became easy targets for poachers as they could hardly move around in the thick snow. Now, with the completion of the administrative reform we are able to support the regional Hunting Management Department that has the authority to carry out anti-poaching patrols all over Primorsky krai with the exception of protected areas with federal status (90% of Amur tiger population live outside the Protected Areas). The number of inspectors of the krai's Hunting Management Department is at present 39. They expect 28 more inspectors to join the Department after January 1, 2010. In November 2009, one of our staff members went to the Global Tiger Forum in Kathmandu and the head of Rosprirodnadzor (Federal Nature Use Service), Vladimir Kirillov, also visited the workshop. This was the first time that a Russian official delegation participated in such an event. In his presentation, Kirillov announced some measures that need to be taken for tiger protection in Russia. He stated that "the national criminal and civil legislation should be amended to increase liability for moving and keeping tiger derivatives and bring penalties to 500,000 rubles ($16,827). In order to preserve the prey base, hunting

regulation should be changed, and harsher prosecution should follow". Phoenix will not fail to remind the Russian authorities if these promises are not kept! After we received the alarming results of winter tiger monitoring, Phoenix, WCS, and WWF elaborated a list of recommendations for the Government to adopt. We believe they were taken into account by the Russian officials who were preparing the national presentation at the Katmandu Workshop. Here are some of our recommendations:

1) The number of inspectors responsible for the protection of wildlife in Amur tiger habitat should be at least doubled;

2) Federal Russian legislation should be changed so that trade, possession or transport of Federally listed Endangered Species should be dealt with as a criminal offense and subject to substantial fines;

3) Minimum fines for poaching ungulate game species in Amur tiger habitat should be substantially increased, and a special legislative provision should be brought in that would make poaching in tiger habitat a more serious violation than elsewhere;

4) Any weapon used for poaching should be confiscated permanently;

5) Hunting and gun licences should be revoked from all repeating offenders of hunting regulations, and enforcement agencies should form databases and exchange data in order to detect repeating offenders;

6) Logging plans should include a road management plan, and closure of roads after logging activities have stopped should be a requirement of all logging operations.

7) Korean Pine should be put back on the list of tree species for which logging is prohibited, and logging of mature oak stands should be substantially reduced.

In our opinion, the indicators of tiger decline are alarming, and we are determined to take measures to prevent tiger numbers from further decrease, namely by fighting poaching of tiger prey species: deer and wild boars.

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5. Education in Primorsky region The main long-term objective of our education and outreach efforts in Primorsky krai is to reduce poaching, habitat destruction and human-induced fires in the Amur leopard/tiger range. We focus our efforts on people that live, work or hunt in Primorye. Our main target groups are local villagers and especially schoolchildren, because it is easier to influence children’s mentality than that of adults.

1. Workshop for educators Between July 4 and July 8 the Phoenix Fund and Primorsky Institute for Further Training of Educators organized a workshop “Biodiversity Conservation and New Methods in Ecological Education” in Kirovka town. Twenty-four schoolteachers and tutors of eco-centres came from eight districts of Primorye, namely Khasan, Lazovsky, Partizansky, Krasnoarmeisky, Kirovsky, Dalnerechensky, Terneisky and Pozharsky. Amongst the participants there were also representatives of Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve, Lazovsky Nature Reserve and Udege Legend National Park.

Since 2005 Phoenix has been organizing an annual workshop aimed at increasing level of teachers' knowledge and professional skills, introducing new computer technologies and giving educators an opportunity to share their experience. By gathering teachers from various corners of Primorye, Phoenix pursues two main aims: to raise patriots who will love

and cherish the unique nature of our region, and to fill a gap in ecological education through developing and publishing teachers’ guides and other educational materials. It is sad to note that at the present time not all residents of Primorye know that over 303 species (28.3%) listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation are also included in the Red Book of Primorye, and that almost half the rare and endangered species of Russia inhabit our region. The workshop program covered the following themes: «Biodiversity Conservation and Study of Red Books of the Russian Federation and Primorye»; «Professional Competence of Biology Teachers in Primorye»; «Theory of Video Filming and Video Editing»; «Video Editing Software»; «Photography and PowerPoint Presentations». The topics of lectures were chosen deliberately. After questioning the teachers involved in Phoenix’s educational projects it became obvious that they most needed to gain knowledge on video filming and working with PowerPoint presentations in order to promote ecological education among local communities. A final task for the workshop participants was to make a video on their own. Everyone responded well to the task. The teachers look forward to the continuation of this exchange in knowledge and experience in years to come. The workshop was held thanks to financial support from British charities and nature conservation organizations, namely the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, and the Zoological Society of London. 2. Ecological education in Khasan district, Southwestern Primorye In 2009, the Phoenix Fund has been able to continue its educational programme in Khasan district. The program resulted in increased support for Amur tiger and leopard conservation among local citizens in southwestern Primorye, as well as an increased awareness of the threats to their survival.

© PhoenixFirst day of the workshop

For the reported period Natalia Drobysheva, a professional environmental educator, carried out 62 ecological lessons for 2,000 schoolchildren aged 7-17 in Khasan district.

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Her lessons were not devoted purely to the Amur leopards, as schoolchildren are already aware of their state, but also to a number of ecological problems: illegal logging, poaching, local threatened species, etc. Natalia’s lessons are always dynamic and adapted to pupils of various ages. Teachers from rural schools always wait for her classes with impatience, as she exchanges with them ideas and methods of ecological work in secondary school, and provides literature and films about nature.

The educator continued leading the Rodnichok (Small spring) teenage eco-team that gives performances about Amur leopards in schools and border posts. Pupils and teachers from Barabash, Kraskino, Khasan, Bezverkhovo, Nerpi, Zanadvorovka, and Perevoznaya villages visited “Rodnichok” eco-center on a regular basis. Kindergarten teachers from Slavyanka town consulted with the eco-center’s educator on conducting of ecological lessons for kindergarten children. Thanks to equipment that was purchased with funds from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (copier, computer, cartridges for printer etc.) there was a possibility to distribute educational materials. Various films and slide-presentations were frequently shown on a big screen during the lessons in the eco-center, which aroused much interest from the audience. During the lessons the children discussed biodiversity of Khasan district and recollected cases of people’s encounters with tigers. Industrial development as a factor of disturbance for wild animals, and the necessity of constructing underground

passages for them, were touched on during the lessons. Junior schoolchildren took part in a quiz “Fire Is Enemy to the Forest” and listened to fairy-tales about nature, and middle schoolchildren participated in the lesson “Hunters and Poachers”. The educator used a video “Planet Earth” by BBC. Senior schoolchildren had a lesson “Ocean in Your Hands”, during which they watched a video with the same title and learned about biodiversity of the Marine Reserve that is located in Khasan district. Then, they discussed other protected areas of the district: Barsovy, Borisovsky Plateau and Leopardovy wildlife refuges. Afterwards, they watched a video “Seasons on the Leopard’s Land”.

© PhoenixNatalia Drobysheva gives a lesson

devoted to the Amur tiger

Spring is well known as a hazardous fire period which is the reason why the teacher chose “Fire at Leopard Land” as a topic for her lesson in March-May. In April and May the senior students of Rodnichok eco-center worked on “Fire in the Forest” project. They prepared four special presentations on the topic for future ecological lessons. The auditorium classes were supplemented with tree planting, volunteer work of senior children with small ones, and cleaning of beaches of the bays and islands of Khasan district. Thanks to ZAT, each Monday during the whole school year the educator was able to travel to rural schools and give classes, which was much appreciated as Biology teachers of small village schools do not always have access to resources to prepare interesting materials for pupils on the nature conservation theme. In summer 2009 Natalia Drobysheva went to the US as a member of an official delegation from Russia and met with Wildlife Alliance staff to talk about environmental education issues. The trip was organized and sponsored by the American Government. 3. Ecological education in Pozharsky district, Northern Primorye Three experienced educators conduct regular classes devoted to the Amur tiger and endangered wildlife of the region in

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Luchegorsk town and district schools. They also prepare classes about tigers for small kindergarten children (3-6 years old) and members of a hikers’ club. For the reported period, over 1,563 schoolchildren from 3 to 17 years old attended eco-classes and games in local schools, visited the eco-center and attended slide presentations.

Among the topics discussed there were as follows: - Logging. On New Year’s Eve the educator spoke about how different countries fought illegal woodcutting. The children liked the idea of putting a New Year tree into a pot in order to plant it later on, and to introduce fines for illegal cutting of conifers; - Amur Tiger from all angles. Thus, during a game “Star Hour” the children revised their knowledge on the Amur tiger and its habitat. Divided into three teams of eight people each, they answered the teacher’s questions, read tracks “in the snow” and deciphered a rebus letter from a tiger. During the lesson “Unique Tiger”, with the use of a slide presentation, the teacher acquainted the children with tiger species, told how they prey on game species and how they take care of cubs. Then, the children compared human and tiger’s abilities and came to the conclusion that a tiger has better hearing and eyesight than a man, and that it is good at swimming and climbing trees. After comparing predator and man, the children discussed the rules of human behavior in case of encounter in the forest. They found

out that it is impossible to run away from a tiger; - Other animal species of Primorsky region. In June, the educator presented a series of lessons “Sea mammals from the Red Book of the Russian Federation”. With the help of a slide presentation the children learned about the endangered cetaceans and the pinniped. They compared the size of those animals, watched videos about the hump-backed whales and the sea lions, got to know how they swim, breathe and hunt for food. In the conclusion the teacher spoke about the larga (spotted seals) that is about to be put on the Endangered Species List; Studying predator species, the children learnt what animals ate and when they hunted. They were surprised to find out that predators are beneficial to people because they eat rodents. At the end of the lesson the children were offered to guess riddles about nature. - Eco-friendly lifestyle. In spring, before the swimming season, schoolchildren learned how to utilize various kinds of garbage. They also discussed the necessity to protect the Komarov lotus (endemic flower). Each summer, children go to an eco-camp on Solonaya Pad Lake and organize day and night “watch” to prevent picking of the beautiful rose lotuses.

© PhoenixLesson on the Amur tiger at the eco-centre

4. Ecological education in Krasnoarmeisky district, Northern Primorye The eco-center in Novopokrovka town can be considered a model one, as a really devoted educator has worked for three years there and we can observe how her efforts have gained people’s confidence. They not only visit the town schools and invite schoolchildren to the center for eco-classes, but also make regular trips to small village schools in tiger range. The lessons center on fostering positive attitude of children towards tigers, strengthening ecological knowledge and raising awareness on threats to tigers and nature in general. In 2009, the educator Valeria Nazarova conducted 294 ecological events of different calibres, in which 2,086 children aged 3-18 and 63 adults participated. Among the lessons’ themes were the following: “Let’s Model an Animal of Snow”, “To Kids about

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Cubs”, “Tiger Odyssey”, “Tiger Dominoes”, Whiskered and Striped”, “Who is the Master in Taiga”, “Tiger Cub Visits the Children” and many others. As you see, the tiger is the primary focus of the lessons, but each month there are classes that touch upon all the other representatives of our beautiful world, from frogs to polar bears.

The educator, having trained as a psychologist, always invents some unusual ways to present information and make the children interested in the surrounding world. For example, she taught the children about the tiger and its behavior by reading tales based on the oral folk arts of Chinese and Korean people. For example, “Judging the Tiger” tells the story about a tiger that took care of a widow better than her son. Then, with “Namba” eco-club members, who are 14-17 years old, she staged a funny performance namely “Why Cat Is Called Cat” about the special features and habits of this animal. The children learnt the differences between domestic cats and tigers and watched a cartoon film “Cat Walks by Itself” that illustrated the free spirit of the feline. During a physical warm-up the children imitated jaguars, leopards, tigers and wild cats growling at each other. At a sketch-class “Lesson with Tiger Cub” the children learned about Amur tiger conservation issues. The performers acted

the rescued tiger cub that had got wounded and escaped from poachers. To cheer up the little tiger the audience had to recite verses, guess riddles about nature and sing a song. Another kind of proactive lesson on tigers, developed by the educator, is to finish sentences like “The most horrible for a tiger is when…” or “In captivity, a tiger starts…” The main purpose of such a lesson is to find out youth attitude towards tigers. Annually in October the club is engaged in Animal Welfare Week. In 2009, the week was devoted to our planet in general. A film narrated by celebrity actor and defender of wildlife, Leonardo DiCaprio, and with an introductory reference by Russian stars, was shown to demonstrate the things that people and animals have in common. The video helped the children realize interrelations between them and answer an important question: what is the role and value of animals in our world? As homework the members of eco-center were offered to think on a theme: One Day in the World Without Animals. Today’s rate of species disappearance due to environmental contamination, hunting, excessive fishing, habitat destruction and the most important thing - climate change - is a thousand times faster than the rate of a natural course of evolution. The children chose different types of creative work: making drawings or composing essays, small stories and poems. At the end everybody came to the conclusion that it is necessary for people to find the ways allowing them to organically co-exist with animals.

©PhoenixValeria Nazarova gives a lesson

“A call to tiger”

In September, seventeen children participated in a PR-action “To Tiger with a Visit”. The purpose of it was to attract the public’s attention to the upcoming Tiger Day holiday, especially adults. Children with tiger make-up appeared in the most crowded places of Novopokrovka town and distributed flyers with an invitation to the festival. On September 19, residents of Novopokrovka and Krasnoarmeisly district celebrated the Tiger Day. About 400 people either actively participated or watched it, including children

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and adults. The local children’s library initiated a signature-gathering campaign to leaders of 13 states who would decide tigers’ future at International Tiger Summit in September 2010. More than 250 adult residents of the district expressed their concern.

“Namba” eco-club has gained a good reputation and become well-known to the majority of people, not only in Novopokrovka town, but also in a dozen villages that the club engages in eco-classes, performances, and competitions, either by coming to their local school, or by inviting them with a friendly visit to Novopokrovka. 5. Ecological education in Lazovsky district, Northern Primorye For the twelve months of 2009, the specialists of the Ecological Department of Lazovsky Nature Reserve held 172 lessons and events, including lectures, conferences, competitions, ecological holidays, practical actions and campaigns. A total number of 1,950 children aged 3-17 took part in these activities. The educators of the Lazovsky nature reserve are, without exaggeration, the most co-ordinated team among those we work with. In the educational domain it is so important to work as a team, and it is beneficial to have a mix of experienced and

younger teachers, who all bring different ideas and new approaches. The classes held in the course of the year covered all aspects of the animal and plant world. A great number of them touched upon tiger conservation to a varying degree, with lessons adapted to the children’s age. For example, members 13-15 years old had a lesson “Meetings on Forest Paths” and met Mr. Makovkin who worked in the Reserve for 35 years and is an author of numerous scientific studies. He told the children about rangers’ work and recollected interesting cases from his experience about his encounters with wild animals.

©PhoenixChildren drawing poster about rules of behaviour in the forest

©PhoenixPerformance on forest inhabitants

Smaller children had a lesson “Following tiger cubs”. While playing a game they learned some new facts about animals and discussed why tiger cubs approached villagers. At the lesson the children watched a video “Striped perfection” and discussed it. The most exciting task was to “call” to tiger using a mobile phone. Kindergarteners, among others, attended lessons on “Autumn comes”, where they looked at autumn images, went to “gather nature gifts”, read a poem on chipmunks and came to the conclusion that people should not take all the mushrooms and berries with them out of the forest, but should leave something for animals to survive winter. The fewer chances there were for wild boars and

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deer to find food, the more chances there were for the tiger to stay hungry and search for food in villages, picking off dogs or cows. Senior pupils (aged 16-17) were given a series of lessons called “Introduction into regional ecology”. The idea of it was to outline the environmental problems of the Far East of Russia and Lazovsky district of Primorye in particular. During the lesson the children recollected the notion of ecology and filled out forms which helped the teacher know their level of knowledge in different spheres of ecology and their interests. Where it is possible, the educators try to invite specialists who work with wild animals such as tigers. Thus, in February, the educator carried out a lesson “Following Tiger Tracks” for 28 children from Preobrazhenye village to foster positive attitude towards the Amur tiger. A joint group of children and reserve staff went to follow tracks left by three orphaned tiger cubs that had been wandering around the village in search of food for several days. The children were taught how to behave in case of encounters with a tiger, and got an explanation on what specialists do in case of “conflict” tigers. A series of eight classes conducted during the academic year was devoted to forest protection. The purpose of the lesson was to get the pupils acquainted with Primorye forest types and inform about the main reasons for a decrease in native plant populations. First, the educator gave a slide presentation on forest types. Then there were heated debates about the main causes of deforestation. At the end of the lesson the children watched a film “Korean Pine: Cut or Save?” The educators organized regular excursions for schoolchildren to the Nature Museum of Lazovsky Nature Reserve. In summer, the educators organized a three-day seminar for 19 kindergarten teachers. During the seminar the participants watched video materials specially created for ecological lessons, learnt new tools in ecological education at kindergartens and

shared their experience. Beside lectures, lively discussions and other creative forms of discussions were utilized, such as role-playing and sketches. 6. Eco-education in the Udege Legend National Park The Phoenix Fund assisted the Udege Legend National Park in creating eco-center facilities. The premises provided for the eco-center in Roschino village (40 km away from the Park’s boundary) desperately needed repair. Thanks to support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the premises were whitewashed, painted and furnished. We purchased furniture (tables, chairs, and bookcase) and equipment necessary for educational activities (laptop, printer/scanner/copier, multimedia projector with screen, photo camera, hard disk, modem for Internet access, laminator and binding machine to prepare materials for information boards, laminate photographs and bind any documents.)

©PhoenixLesson during summer camp

at the Udege Legend Park

The staff of the Eco-Tourism and Environmental Education Department consists of seven full-time employees. In 2009, the staff members developed 112 lessons on Amur tiger and tiger-related topics and carried out 53 lessons and events: ecological quiz “Green Sea of Taiga”, meeting with villages, discussion rules of human behavior in case of encounters with tigers, screening of “Snowy Tigers” video,

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ecological lesson “Web of Life”, screening of cartoons, lesson “Red Data Book Is a Symbol of Alarm”, lesson «Heritage Conservation in National Park”.

In July–August, the Department’s staff were busy preparing and holding a Young Inspector’s Summer Camp, which was partly financed by ZAT. They developed an educational program for campers, hygiene and sanitary instructions, summer camp job descriptions, and made summer camp living arrangements (purchase of equipment and food, arrangements for feeding, etc.). The summer camp was pitched in the national park. Over 40 children from eleven local schools, including twelve children from Dalny Kut village, and six volunteers, students of the Far Eastern National University, attended the camp. The Department’s staff is hopeful that the summer camp was one of those steps that have a positive influence on attitude towards the park among the local community. According to the young participants, they enjoyed the summer camp activities and would like to attend it again. During the summer camp the participants had a chance to see the natural and historical places of interest in the Park, obtained more knowledge on wildlife and underwent practical training on bio-monitoring of fresh water bodies. A scientist from the Biology and Soils Institute of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences came to teach children about bio-monitoring, spoke about types of anthropogenic pollution and how zoobenthos reacted to it, where neuston

lived and how to distinguish caddis flies from stone flies. The children learned to take samples of soil, analyze them and make conclusions about the state of water with the

help of a biotic index. The water canals of the Park turned to be so pure that water from them was drinkable. Apart from practical classes the children had lectures in biology and astronomy, took part in hikes along the “Tiger path”, “zoological race”, increased their knowledge on the Amur tiger, and participated in the traditional competitions of the Udege aboriginal people and other games. They were lucky to get to Laulinsky Prizhym, a famous rock where remains of an ancient fortress of the Dzhiurdzhen tribes are conserved, to see the caves of natural origin and to touch relicts of the Ussuri taiga – the yew trees. During the camp, the children made the acquaintance of the Old Believers (an old rigorous branch of Christianity) who moved to Primorye this year from Latin America, got lessons on embroidery from

them and learned about their way of life.

© PhoenixChildren assist in creating a nursery

for Korean pine trees

One of the important directions for the Department’s activity is work with teachers from local schools. On August 28, during an annual conference for educators of Krasnoarmeisky district the specialists of the Eco-Tourism and Education Department held a workshop on biological monitoring of fresh water for 25 teachers of natural sciences from 12 local schools. Each participant received hand-outs and a CD comprising methods, slide-presentations and field guides. Elena Golobokova told about water samples gathered by the children during the summer eco-camp in Udege Legend National Park and showed equipment necessary to do research work. In May 2009, educator Julia Laletina initiated creation of an eco-group “Cedar” composed of schoolchildren from Dalny Kut village. It is very important to educate children from the village located at the entrance of the Park, because their lives and the Park’s future are interdependent and closely connected. All in all, twenty-four children go to school in Dalny Kut, and only nine of them attend meetings of the eco-group “Cedar” on a regular basis. The lessons are given once per week. During

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such lessons the children watch films on nature and ecological cartoons and get involved in various nature-oriented events, such as clean-up actions, planting, making bird feeders, conducting bio-monitoring and more. For example, in spring 2009, the children assisted in creating a nursery for Korean pine trees near the Park’s office in Dalny Kut. They sowed over 300 square kilometers (115 square miles) with Korean pine seeds kindly provided by Dalnerechensky forestry. In summer they watched the seedling development closely, protected young plants from sunscald and fenced in the nursery to keep the younglings secured from being destroyed by animals. Additionally, the children participated in planting grown-up trees of Korean pine in the protected area. Thus, during the first months of their activities, the members of the eco-group “Cedar” planted a small Korean pine forest. In addition to this, the Department’s staff members gave much attention to research work conducted by schoolchildren. In Dalny Kut village the members of the eco-group “Cedar” attend lessons on hydrobiology. The children are taught to take samples, make records, identify invertebrates, study methods of biological monitoring and try to apply them practically to assess the quality of water bodies. In September-October, for the first time, the staff members of the Park organized special tours for 90 schoolchildren from Novokreschenka and Roschino villages and Dalnerechensk town. The Park’s guide, Oksana Sokolova, staff member of the Eco-Tourism and Education Department, led the children through two nature trails. The Park’s specialists worked closely with the local community to establish a “center of revived handicraft” and launched a project that presents a more environmentally friendly, and potentially more sustainable, alternative to extractive activities, such as farming, logging, mining, or harvesting of wildlife. It offers local people the chance to escape a cycle of poverty. Thanks to support from the

Amur branch of WWF-Russia, the Park’s administration purchased special equipment to create tailor and woodworking workshops to involve local people in development of markets in native handicraft and artwork for souvenirs. The villagers have already started making handicrafts: craftwork, various types of jewelry, and national dresses. Among the project participants there are Russian and Udege people from the communities of Roschino and Dalny Kut villages. Several handicraft workshops for local people are scheduled to take place in the near future. Since July, the Park’s Eco-Tourism and Environmental Education Department has been issuing an Information Newsletter (999 copies per month) to inform the local community about a variety of Park-related events, activities and issues. The newsletters have been distributed in local grocery stores, libraries, eco-centres and schools free of charge. A district and a regional newspaper also publish articles about the educational work of the Park on a regular basis. From June to November 2009, the Park’s staff worked to determine the best routes where the visitors could see the diversity of rare and endangered species of the Park, cultural and historical heritage, and see sights and main attractions. All in all, four camping sites and four nature trails were developed in the Park and are ready to be used by visitors. 7. Ecological education in Terneisky district, Northern Primorye The “Uragus” club in Terney in the northeast of the region is oriented towards biology study and nature conservation. It has been operating since 1970. In 2009, Galina Maksimova, the educator and club leader, initiated and ran 186 ecological events, in which 2,179 children 10-17 years old took part. The classes were devoted to animal and bird species of their home country. For example, the club members attended two lessons

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about the catastrophic situation wild animals faced in the forest due to deep snow in early 2009. They discussed ecological and moral aspects of the problem. They knew that some local people took advantage of deep snow and went to kill deer stuck in snowdrifts. The educator also conducted lessons about wintering birds for junior members of the Uragus Eco-Club. During the lesson the children learnt how to make a birdfeeder and how to feed birds correctly.

Within the framework of the Amur tiger educational project, the educator involved staff members of the Wildlife Conservation Society for lessons and presentations. One of them touched upon methods of tiger research. Talks with people who directly deal with tigers on a daily basis produced a big impression on the youth. In April, the educator visited Svetlaya, Ust-Sobolevka, and Edinka villages of the Terneisky district to screen “Conflict Tiger” film. The theme of the film was very close to local people, especially those from northern remote villages who went hunting regularly. The film made the audience think about the fate of the Amur tiger. Dramatic relations between man and predator showed in the film aroused a storm of emotions and nobody could stay indifferent. The club focused much of its work on tiger habitat conservation. Since 2000, the “Uragus” eco-center has been holding annual actions aimed at involving younger generations in reforestation. The members of

the eco-center wrote an article about forest fires for the local newspaper. In May, the educator with her pupils and the local forestry, participated in reforestation in burned-out areas. All in all, they planted 2,300 seedlings of Korean pine. In autumn the educator took part in the negotiations with the leading logging company of the district “TerneyLes” about elaboration of a joint program of forest conservation. The Director of the company expressed his interest in it. Annually “Uragus” eco-club provides volunteers to plant trees, but now they want to do something on a greater scale. The great results of the ecological education in Terneisky district are proved by the schoolchildren’s participation in the regional school competition in Biology and Ecology. One of the pupils won the first place, and another – the third.

©PhoenixUragus eco-club on trip to waterfalls

©PhoenixTerney villagers go to celebrate

Tiger Day 2009

During the year, “Uragus” eco-club monthly published thirty copies of its ecological newspaper called “Dewdrop in Cobweb”. The paper comprised children’s articles devoted to ecological problems of Terneisky district, poems and drawings.

8. Eco-center in Kirovka town Galina Goy, the educator of the eco-center in Kirovka, started working on our ecological project in 2006. She has her own method of work: Galina involves students of a local

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vocational school to deliver lessons to junior schoolchildren. About 10 teenagers willingly held lessons. Thus, we resolved both social (the town is rather poor with an unfavorable environment and a large number of troubled families) and outreach questions. In 2009, the educator of the Ussuri eco-club, held 24 events of different kinds, in which 409 children and teenagers (aged 5-19) participated. The classes took place in professional school №55 of Kirovka town, where the club is located, and in kindergartens.

Students prepared a number of lessons for small children, such as “Meeting the Tiger and Other Animals”, an ecological game-lesson “Dominoes” (there were different questions concerning tigers, nature reserves and wild animals printed on the dominoes), a quiz “Breathe deeper” about pollution, and others. As usual, Amur tigers and its biology and ecology were the focus of attention, but not the only subject for discussion. The educator played a game with the children called “Tiger hunting”, in which they learned what a tiger ate and in what quantities; delivered a lecture “Had time for deer”, using a TV report about red deer and roe deer that got stuck and exhausted in thick snow in Lazovsky Nature Reserve; gave a series of lessons on flora and fauna and protected areas of the Primorski region.

A lesson “What will remain after us?” made pupils think what aftermath could an ecological catastrophe, such as for instance Chernobyl, lead to and what natural disasters could occur by people’s fault. The idea of the “Man and Nature” contest was to teach the students to feel their connection with nature and to allow them to express their minds on ecological issues. The educator voiced three questions the participants were challenged to answer: “Why is the Earth crying?”, “What can I do to save the planet?” and “What do you understand under the phrase “Earth is my home”? In addition to attending classes, schoolchildren also worked with their hands, building birdfeeders and drawing posters for “My Earth is My Home” and “Saving Tiger’s Home” contests, and cleaning the banks of the Ussuri river. “Ussuri” eco-club members took an active part in Tiger Day celebration. Thanks to their efforts, each year the festival is celebrated on a larger scale. In 2009, not only kindergartens and secondary schools, but also youth clubs and cultural centers joined the festival supporters.

©PhoenixGalina Goy and her pupils

playing tiger dominoes

The biggest achievement of the club is that it has established stable cooperation with a secondary school # 2 of Kirovka town and “Lotus” eco-club. This cooperation results in joint classes and various ecological actions. 9. Eco-education in Vladivostok It is natural that villagers are our main target group in terms of Amur tiger and leopard awareness program but we should not forget about citizens from cities and towns of Primorsky region, many of whom have summer houses in the country and go fishing or hunting in the forests. That is why in 2007 we introduced the educational project in Vladivostok. Eco-classes do not focus solely on the two endangered cats, but teach children about nature protection in a broad sense, about eco-systems and their stability,

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food chains in the animal world, explain to them the importance of controlled nature use (huntin, fishing, logging), promote “leave no trace” way of camping and give them lots of useful knowledge.

In 2009, Alexandre Vrisch, Phoenix educational projects coordinator, and Vera Kondrashkina, an experienced educator, gave in total 21 lessons dedicated to the Amur tiger and local biodiversity in general biodiversity to 538 children aged 10-13 years old in Vladivostok secondary school № 62. The lesson “Tiger and Man. History of Relationships” was conducted to give the children an idea about the Amur tiger’s fate, relations between people and predators, and present-day tiger population status. For the class the teacher used the children’s book “Amur Tiger”, “Tiger at Home” educational poster (edited and published by the Phoenix Fund) and maps and atlas of Primorsky krai. The educator started the lesson with a discussion on the topic of tiger-human relations, emphasizing the influence of industrialization and increase in technical development that left almost no space for the animal. People invaded all the land and that caused the depletion of tiger population. Using the “Amur Tiger” book the children made and then analyzed several maps illustrating the dynamics in the predator’s population.

The theme of the other lesson was “Nose to Nose with a Tiger”. The goal of it was to tell the children about some traits of the tiger’s behavior and safety rules in case of an encounter with the predator. The educator used a lot of methodical materials and educational kits designed especially for lessons devoted to tigers. During the class the children learned several facts about the tiger’s lifestyle, its relations with the younger generation, hunting habits and behavior during encounters with man. After the discussion all the children were given an assignment to write an “Instruction for Young Tiger Specialist” describing the safety rules in case of meeting the “master of taiga”. Later, the best tips were written on a poster.

©PhoenixVera Kondrashkina gives a lesson

on forest fires in Vladivostok school

©PhoenixAlexandre Vrisch gives a lesson using a cartoon about tiger cub

Three lessons titled “Green Home of Amur Tiger” were given with the purpose of familiarizing the pupils with the rich diversity of the forest eco-systems in the Amur tiger range. At the beginning of the lesson the teacher read a mini-lecture about the “lungs of our Planet” and forest diversity. During the lecture the educator used a map of Primorsky krai to show the Amur tiger range, “Green Home” that is covered with forest which the tigers inhabit. Special attention was paid to the fact that the Amur tiger was a key constituent of the “green home”, namely cedar-deciduous forest. Then, the educator asked the children to name inhabitants of the

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“Green Home” and offered to play a game “Who Eats Whom?” Two lessons “Green Home of Amur Tiger. Part II” were aimed at familiarizing children with the Amur tiger habitat and tiger’s behaviour in its normal environment (hunting, feeding, breeding). First, the teacher showed a film “Who Is the Master of Taiga?” Secondly, she spoke about the tiger’s features and its habitat. Then, the children played a board game “Following Tiger Tracks”. After playing the game, the pupils listened to a mini-lecture devoted to the tiger’s life cycle: mating season, maternity, raising and teaching cubs to survive on their own, relations with the younger generation and congeners. At the end of the lesson, they were given a quiz “There Is a Bit of Tigers in All of Us” Three lessons titled “Green Home of Amur Tiger. Part III. Forest Fires” were given to the children with the purpose of informing them about forest fires that posed a serious threat to forest ecosystems, including Amur tiger habitat. Didactic material of Smokey Bear American Project, Home of Amur Tiger posters, leaflets and video film about forest fires were at the educator’s disposal to make the lesson more interesting and attention-grabbing. Each lesson lasted an hour and a half. At the beginning of the lesson the children were divided into several groups and were asked to list the main threats to the Green Home (such as woodcutting, poaching, construction of roads or other facilities, forest fires, pollution) and make a report. Then, the teacher drew the pupils’ attention to a very serious threat such as forest fires, showed a film and spoke about the main reasons and consequences of the forest fires. The children discussed what happens to plant and animal species after forest fires, how forest fires affected Amur tigers and what changes occurred in the tiger’s life and its behavior. At the end of the lesson the educator spoke about human behavior in the open country and rules of setting and putting out fires. Three lessons under the name “Tiger Quiz” were devoted to the biological features of the

Amur tiger and its habitat. During the lessons the teacher used “Amur Tiger” kids’ book, map and atlas of Primorsky krai, Home of Amur tiger poster, “Encounters with Amur Tiger” storybook, “Zov Taigi” magazines and “Who Is the Master in Taiga?” film. At the beginning of the lesson the children watched a film. Then, they discussed the diversity and interconnection between animated and inanimate nature and man’s role in nature conservation. After the discussion the children played a game where they answered a number of questions, namely: how many tigers live on the planet, which tiger species is the biggest one, where do Amur tigers live and others. The children who were active and gave correct answers to the questions were awarded with small gifts. We are pleased to observe that lessons on the Amur tiger have become a regular part of Biology and Ecology classes at secondary schools in Vladivostok City, as well as being included in extra-curricular activities. This gives a hope to bring up a generation of people in the near future who would be well-informed about the state of endangered species and would consider poaching unacceptable.

6. Educational materials a) Tiger and Leopard Calendars

© Phoenix FundCover of the calendar with tiger paintings

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The Phoenix Fund has published wall calendars for 2010 featuring children’s paintings with various scenes of the big cats' life in the wild. It is now the third year that Phoenix has produced such calendars that aim to involve the younger generation in conservation of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. When participating in art contests devoted to nature conservation, children try with much pleasure and interest to find out about the lifestyle of the animal, what problems animals face to survive in the wild and how people affect animals’ state. Moreover, often parents join their kids during their preparations for the contest, and together they learn more interesting and unknown facts about wildlife. It was in December 2008 when the Phoenix Fund announced a children’s art contest in Primorye and asked schoolchildren to illustrate with rich imagination one day of life of the Amur tiger or Amur leopard. Over 420 children from six districts of Primorye, namely Terneisky, Pozharsky, Krasnoarmeisky, Lazovsky, Khasansky and Nadezhdinsky as well as from Vladivostok city, Arseniev and Ussuriisk towns sent their entries. The best paintings were selected by Phoenix's staff to be included in the calendars for 2010. Besides children’s paintings, the calendars comprise a list of ecological dates and information about SMS-project “HELP!” launched by Phoenix and a local cellular operator in March 2009. b) Educator’s Tool Kit on the Amur Leopard

In 2009, Phoenix produced a unique Educator’s Tool Kit on the Amur leopard, and this book was awarded a gold medal as the best electronic publication at the 13th Far-Eastern Fair “Publishing House-2009”! Also, at the Second Far-Eastern Contest “Higher Education Publications-2009” the Kit was nominated as the best higher education publications in pedagogy and psychology fields and won the award. This Kit was developed and published by the Phoenix Fund and Primorsky Institute for Further Training of Educators (PIFTE) with financial support from the Whitley Fund for Nature. On October 8, 2009 Phoenix and PIFTE held a training session devoted to bio-diversity conservation in Khasan district of Primorye – Leopard Land. Over twenty-five teachers from various districts of Primorye came to attend the training, the main goal of which was to teach educators to work with the new Tool Kit in order to foster positive attitude among the younger generation to endangered wildlife and conservation, educate young people to treat the environment with respect, and to cultivate a sense of responsibility towards nature. During the training the teachers recognized a high value of the developed materials and admitted that the Kit’s information can be used by children who live not only on Leopard Land, but also in the whole of Primorye. Why is this Kit unique? Southwestern Primorye is considered a home to the Amur leopard population, with about 30-35 individuals left in the wild. However not all residents of Primorsky krai are aware of this rare big cat and the threats to its survival. For many years conservationists have been carrying out educational projects aimed at raising the level of people’s knowledge about the current state of the environment, fauna and flora and factors with negative impacts on wildlife. The environmental education is mostly focused on the younger generation in whose hands the fate of the Amur leopards lies. But how can teachers provide children of various ages with information on this endemic species, if there is a lack of educational

©PhoenixWorkshop for teacher

on Amur Leopard Kit use

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materials and courses devoted to the Amur leopard in the school curriculum? The Phoenix Fund decided to help teachers and developed thirty lessons (with extra games and tasks) covering three main themes: (1) General biology and ecology of leopard covering such topics as Felines, Leopard habitat, and Leopard prey etc; (2) Leopard and Man, covering such topics as Poaching and Conservation efforts; and (3) Leopard in history and culture. Each lesson includes goals, methods, and information on the theme, games and tasks for various age groups, materials for printing, tests and homework tasks, information on slide presentation and video fragments available on DVD. All texts underwent scientific and Russian language editing to meet the highest standards of the state educational material to be approved and recommended for use at schools. Phoenix had all developed materials approved at the Primorsky Institute for Further Training of Educators. This approval means that the materials received an official status to be used at schools. In September 2009, the Kit saw the light of day and 300 copies of the teacher’s guide with a DVD were distributed among schools and eco-centers of Primorye. 7. Ecological holidays and festivals Tiger Day Festival

On the fourth Sunday of September every year, one of the biggest environmental festivals takes place in Vladivostok - the Tiger Day Festival. The tradition of dedicating the day in honor of the Amur tiger began in Vladivostok in 2000 when the Phoenix Fund, WWF-Russia and the City Administration brought local poet and photographer Vladimir Troinin’s idea to life by creating a city-wide holiday. The holiday reminds people about the uniqueness and beauty of the territory they live in. The Amur tiger is a symbol of Vladivostok and Primorsky krai; it is the most respected animal in the Russian Far East. The main goal of the holiday is to help save the Amur tiger in the wild for future generations - not just on logos and coats of arms - and to draw international attention to the plight of this endangered species. Gradually the festival has gained popularity, and it has had its status elevated to a “regional holiday” which means that the holiday may be celebrated officially in every corner of Primorsky krai. Now Tiger Day is enthusiastically celebrated in many countries.

© PhoenixUdege people joined citizens of Vladivostok to

commemorate big cats

On September 13, 2009, residents of Terney town were the first to celebrate the Tiger Day holiday this year. Over 250 schoolchildren from Terney, Plastun, and neighbouring villages arrived at Terney to participate in the carnival procession and in different competitions. On September 19, the festival was celebrated on the main streets of Novopokrovka, Kirovka, and Dalnerechensk

©PhoenixTiger Day 2009 in Vladivostok

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towns, and on September 26 residents of Luchegorsk, Partizansk and Arseniev towns of Primorye celebrated the holiday joyously. As for Vladivostok city, this year was the tenth Tiger Day Festival and it took place in the capital of Primorye. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the holiday, special emphasis was put on the young people as the year 2009 was announced the Year of Youth. The Tiger Day Organizing Committee (comprised of representatives from the Primorsky krai and Vladivostok City Administrations and local nongovernmental organizations) decided to celebrate the holiday with special guests and invited Mumiy Troll, a famous Russian rock group to play. The holiday opened as always with a carnival procession with 5,000 participants wearing homemade masks and colourful costumes of forest dwellers, carrying giant puppets, flags, banners, balloons and streamers, and dancing. The procession started off at noon and marched down Okeansky Avenue on the route from Pokrovskiy park to Komarova street to City Square (the central square officially known as Square for the Fighters for Power of the Soviets). A decorated amphibious vehicle from the local tyre company «Shintop» led the festive procession. It was followed by actors dressed in wild animal costumes and flag bearers carrying the Primorsky krai and Tiger Day flags. Among the procession, there were children from 30 Vladivostok schools as well as schoolchildren from remote villages, local university students, representatives of Zov Tigra National Park (Roar of the Tiger NP), Udege people in traditional dress, family clubs, Russian and international environmental NGOs etc. Although it rained, people refused to let the weather put a dampener on their annual carnival. Everyone was in a festive mood. Over 3,000 spectators filled with exhilaration gathered on the city square and shouted with excitement to greet the pageant participants. At one point, each column of the festive procession stopped and formed an inversion or showed a one-minute performance in order to compete and win the Best Column Award.

When all of the procession participants walked down Okeansky Avenue to the city square, they formed a tiger paw and a professional photographer took a bird’s eye view photo of the biggest tiger paw in the world from an 80-meter high Primorsky krai administration building.

© PhoenixEveryone wants to look like a tiger

The representatives of the Tiger Day Organizing Committee and guests Masha Vorontsova, Director of IFAW-Russia, Peter Pueschel, IFAW EU Campaign Director, and Sergei Bereznuk, Director of the Phoenix Fund, made a speech from the stage to thank people for coming to commemorate the big cats and supporting nature conservation projects. Three prizes were awarded for the best column in the procession with a total value of more than $3,000 USD. The jury said that selecting the best column was difficult. Prize-winning participants in this year’s carnival procession included secondary school number 33, which won the First Place Cash Prize of $1,300 USD for best expressing the parade’s theme. In addition to the $1,300 prize, a cash prize of $1,000 USD was awarded to the second place school team (school number 28), and the third place team won a $700 USD. Apart from cash prizes, the winners were awarded small prizes such as T-shirts, cakes, calendars, bookmarks, magnets and other souvenirs with a Tiger Day logo. The mobile company “Megafon” also chose their favourite column and awarded it with a video camera. A children’s concert followed the award

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ceremony in which girls and boys performed songs and dances.

Thereafter followed two hours of various competitions, namely chalk drawings on asphalt, tiger face painting, a “What Do You Know About Tigers?” quiz, relay races and more. The winners of an art contest were announced and 15 children ranging in age from 5 to 16 were awarded with certificates and memorable prizes.

The daytime events of Tiger Day-2009 were followed by an evening concert of rock bands on the city central square, such as Tumanni Ston (Misty Moan), Listya Travi (Grass Leaves), and Mari Mari. Also, American virtuoso guitarist Omar Torrez performed his amazing guitar technique, playing flamenco and blues music.

On September 27, the Tiger Day holiday was also celebrated in Khabarovsky krai. The Phoenix Fund provided support for educators of the local school in Bichevaya village to organize holiday events for children and adults. Vladivostok City passed the baton on to Lazo town to celebrate the Tiger Day holiday on October 10. As many as 256 children and adults took part in it. There was a traditional carnival procession, performances on the stage, and competitions and quizzes on tiger topics. Teams from a number of rural schools, and even a team from another district, came to Lazo for the day. We are happy to say that Tiger Day is now celebrated by our eastern neighbours! On November 13, a Chinese town Hunchun, located along the boundary with Russia and North Korea, picked up the baton from the Primorsky region of Russia and celebrated the first Tiger Day ecological holiday in its history. Alexander Vrisch of Phoenix received an invitation to the holiday from our colleagues at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS-China) and became an eyewitness to the increasing interest of the Chinese people in the restoration of this rare predator in the wild in China.

Despite a recent snowfall, about 500 residents of Hunchun of different ages, dressed up in tiger, deer, hare and bear and other funny contumes, were in high spirits and marched to the central square of the town, where they were greeted by the mayor and other representatives of the local administration. The holiday organizers invented a nice logo – a tiger hugging a big heart – and produced many souvenirs with tiger symbols.

“Hunchun” hotel hosted an exhibition devoted to anti-poaching work, the fight with illegal traffic of tiger parts, and also to Amur tiger research projects in Hunchun nature reserve.

We hope to reinforce cooperation with China and invite a group of Chinese educators to Tiger Day in Vladivostok in 2010. 8. Eco-campaigns and involvement of local people

a) Amur leopard ferry

©PhoenixFerry leaves for Slavyanka town

close to Amur leopard habitat

In April, we put a banner with the Amur leopard conservation logo on a ferry carrying travellers between Vladivostok city and Slavyanka town. The banner with a colourful image of three Amur leopard cubs and a warning “Only 30 of them remained!” to inform citizens and travellers about a unique big cat species whose wild population of 30

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individuals still exists in the wild only in Khasan district of Primorye, Russian Far East.

From now on, one of the ferries that carries people and their vehicles from Vladivostok to Slavyanka, land of the leopard, will serve not only as a means of transportation, but also as an information resource. People taking a ride on the ferry will be able to while away the time by watching ecological films including the ones devoted to rare and endangered species of the region. Usually, the route takes about three hours.

Phoenix considers such collaboration with the ferry service administration very promising with a view to distributing nature-oriented information and motivating people to think about ecological issues. It is worth mentioning that local ecological organizations have been holding various ecological events, actions, contests, festivals and information campaigns devoted to Amur leopard conservation in the last several years. And the Amur leopard conservation logo has now become easily recognizable.

b) ‘HELP!’ sms project

In March, Phoenix and “NTK” cellular operator, one of the leading companies in Primorsky region, lauched an unprecedented sms-project “HELP!”. It is aimed at conservation of Amur leopards and tigers, and the Ussuri taiga forest in whole. Any “NTK” subscriber willing to take the first step towards changing the world for the better, can send a text message to a symbolic number 9110 and write which environmental issues he/she is concerned about, and what he/she would like the money to go towards. Messages without any text are also accepted. An sms costs 20 roubles (60 cents) without VAT.

In October, “Megafon” federal cellular operator joined us. Now people all over the country have the chance of supporting Phoenix’s projects. The price of an sms is a bit higher – 75 cents.

Over the first 10 months of the project, 2,180 messages were received, raising 34,600 roubles (US $1,130). It was decided to divide the accumulated sum between three issues that demand equal attention, urgent actions and solution. First, one portion of the money was spent for keeping and feeding a tiger cub in a special Inspection Tiger’s facility in Razdolnoe village. On September 16, the animal was released and settled down in Mikhailovsky district close to the Ussuriisky nature reserve.

The second part of the funds was spent on transportation, a special enterprise in Vladivostok and disposal of oily waste collected on the shoreline of Lazovsky Nature Reserve, home to the Amur tiger and other rare and endangered species. In April, an oil spill at sea resulted in contamination of two bays. The Reserve’s staff collected about 50 tonnes of oil-sand mixture.

Since November, with funds coming from the project, we started supporting a newly formed team of the Game and Rare Species Department (we call it the Northern team for convenience) with fuel and field expenses for rangers. It operates in the south of

Project logo

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Khabarovsky and in the north of Primorsky region.

In December 2009 we appealed to local people through the local media and our Web-site to help deer in the Zov Tigra National Park that suffered from heavy snowfalls. They were getting stuck in the snow, exhausted, which put them at risk of becoming easy prey for poachers. Many responsive people brought their donations directly to the Phoenix Fund office, by sms or by sending money to our bank account. We wired all the collected funds to the Park for clearing the roads from snow and making feeding grounds with hay for ungulates. ©Elena Devyatova

Japanese people visit Nadezhda sailor

We also appealed to ZAT, who promptly provided financial help to help clear roads and arrange feeding grounds at Zov Tigra National Park.

c) Sailor under tiger flag

In April 2009 Phoenix provided Russian training sailcraft Nadezhda with materials to be placed on its information boards specially designed to raise people’s awareness of wildlife protection in Primorye, especially Amur tigers and leopards conservation, during Tall Ships Festivals. The festivals took place in Nagasaki (Japan) between April 22 and 27 and in the port Yeosu (the Republic of Korea) from May 1 through May 6. Phoenix’s photos of rare and endangered species of Primorye and local ecological holidays, such as Tiger Day, along with children’s paintings devoted to the Amur tiger conservation were displayed on the upper desk of Nadezhda during the ship’s stay in Nagasaki and Yeosu. Although there were other boards with information on the ship’s history, first captains and the Maritime University of Vladivostok, the Japanese and Korean visitors were captivated by the colorful photos and children’s paintings of tigers and leopards and whiled away their time trying to notice all details. There seemed to be quite a lot of kids, young people and parents with their children in the enraptured audience. According to the organizers of the festivals, between 20,000 and 30,000 people visited the sailing ship in each Asian country. When Japanese and Korean schoolchildren and kindergarten children came up to Phoenix’s boards, naval cadets told them about the unique nature of Primorye, invited them to participate in Tiger Day-2009 and

Picture made by camera trapWild boars at feeding ground

in Zov Tigra Park

Picture made by camera trapDeer on feeding ground in Zov Tigra Park

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handed out various educational materials published by Phoenix, namely leaflets, children’s books, calendars, and bookmarks.

When Nadezhda returned to Vladivostok, the information boards were displayed on the upper deck again. And as before, the Phoenix’s boards drew people’s attention more than others. This first experience has expanded the lines of communication between Russians and people from Asian countries as well as broadened an outlook on Russia, the Russian Far East and Primorye. There is a need to continue this cooperation in years to come. 9. Journalists’ Award On May 26, at the solemn ceremony, the winners of the Alive Taiga Journalists’ Contest were awarded cut-glass ginsengs, and the nine other laureates were given diplomas.

The jury studied 149 newspaper articles, 26 TV reportings and 5 radio transmissions from 47 staff and out-of-staff journalists from the southern regions of the Russian Far East and Kamchatka. They also considered 15 articles and a book on salmon from four authors from Yakutia, Magadansky and Sakhalinsky regions, submitted hors concours.

Having read and discussed all the works, the jury took the following decision. Nobody was

awarded in the categories “Home of the Amur tiger” and “Leopard’s Land”. As for the other categories – “Cedar in the tree of life”, “Green belt of the Amur river”, “Hunting leases on the watch for nature protection”, “Reserved land”, “Land of the wild salmon”, “Ecological tourism” and “Energy projects in the south of the Russian Far East and their influence on nature” – the winners were selected by the jury without much debate. Some changes were made to the Grand Prize this year. The jury suggested that the organizing committee make an amendment to the competition regulations and separate assessment of paper and digital media. This year, the winner in the first category is Nikolay Kutenkich, observer from “Vladivostok newspaper” and in the second category – Elena Schedrina from Primorsky regional television (Vladivostok). Elena Schedrina is one of the leaders of the environment-oriented media with 35 years of experience on regional TV. A certified diver and a professional camerawoman, she is able to shoot on the surface and underwater. The two nominees were presented with trips to picturesque places abroad.

There was also the decision to introduce a category titled “Discovery”. At this year’s contest, this prize was awarded to Elena Borisova, teacher and editor of the school newspaper “Pyatyorochka” (“Five”, an excellent grade in the Russian school system) from Chuguevka village in Primorsky region.

©PhoenixJury announces results

To motivate and encourage the experienced journalists who actively work to engage young generations, this year within the Alive Taiga contest we established a Master honorary title. In 2009, it was awarded to Vasily Solkin, journalist, editor, and founder of Zov Taigi regional magazine of nature protection subject matter.

For five years ZAT has provided support for “Poslednaya Sreda” (Last Environment) journalists club, members of which cover all the most important environmental undertakings in Primorsky region of Russia.

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For the period July–December 2008, the journalists made 70 paper publications, 20 radio reportings, 21 TV reportings, and about 36 press releases were sent out to informations agencies and relevant Web pages. These materials were devoted to Amur leopard and Amur tiger protection, and activities of state and public nature protection institutions.

Among the themes covered were: summer work of WWF Barabash visit centre, Tiger Day publicity, anti-poaching activities and wildlife managers’ workshop in Orlonoye hunting lease, patrol in Leopardovy wildlife refuge with reporters from several TV channels, work of protection units of the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve etc.

10. Compensation of livestock kills

In 1999 we launched a compensation project with a hope that the compensation payments would discourage farmers and villagers from killing predators. Due to limited funding, the program only runs in Khasan district, where Amur leopards are the priority for conservation.

In 2009, leopards and tigers did not often attack domestic cattle. As regards leopards, it

is only in Khasan district (southwest of the region) that they live nowadays, to a large extent thanks to deer farms that have been located there for many years. In total, seven deer were killed by leopards, for which farmers received compensation in the total amount of $2,332.

11. Our plans for 2010

In 2010 we are intend to provide regular support for the state anti-poaching brigades of the Hunting Management Department.

As for the educational component, we also hope to strenthen cooperation with the Chinese site, namely with Wildlife Conservation Society and educators of Hunchun town, that borders onto Russia. Through various appeals, actions and campaigns we will make every effort to get local people, businesses and individuals, involved in the financing of environmental problem resolution, within the limits of what is possible. ©Phoenix

Journalist makes a reporting about gas pipeline constriction

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phoenix fund annual report 2009

Documents

phoenix fund final report

acknowledgements phoenix

endangered wildlife

amur leopard populations

habitat conservation

nature conservation

importance of wildlife

poaching activities