By IB Times Staff Reporter: Subscribe to IB's RSS feed
August 31, 2010 11:10 AM EDT
China and Russia have agreed to create the first cross border tiger conservation reserve for the rare Siberian tiger along the border, the World Wildlife Organization said.
The two countries have agreed to establish a reserve along the Jilin province of China and Primosky in Russia, bordering areas that are home to the Siberian tiger.
The Siberian tiger, also known as Amur, is on the list of highly endangered animals. WWF estimates that there are only about 500 Amur tigers left currently.
As a part of the agreement, the two regions will also share information regarding the tigers and leopards in the region.
"A new transboundary protected area would provide a wider and healthier habitat for Amur tigers and other endangered species, such as the Far East leopard, musk deer and goral," Yu Changchun, Director of Conservation Department of Jilin Forestry Department, said in a statement.
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Most of these animals suffer from poaching, destruction of habitat and a lack of prey as the human venture further into the forest areas. Majority of the Siberian tigers are found in eastern Russia, with some of them in Northeastern China.
Creation of a forest reserve for the tigers will also ensure that other species of animals will flourish.
"There's a lot of work to be done to implement this agreement, such as making sure it receives proper government funding, but this is a major step forward nonetheless," Sergey Aramilev, the Biodiversity Coordinator for Amur Branch of WWF-Russia, said.
China has declared 2010 the Year of the Tiger and is taking several steps to ensure the protection of the cat.
The agreement was a part of the Amur Tiger Festival, which ended on Aug 30, that was focused on tiger conversation and economic development forums.
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