Supported Projects. Tiger Conservation in the Russian Far East

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1 Supported Projects Tiger Conservation in the Russian Far East Background The Russian Far East is home of the wild Amur tiger, Panthera tigris altaica (Figures 1and 2). Surveys conducted in 2005 estimated this population to be individuals (Miquelle et al. 2007), but since then numbers declined, based both on data from the Amur Tiger Monitoring Program (a 15-year collaboration between WCS and Russian partners), and official government reports (Global Tiger Recovery Program 2010). Since then it appears that numbers may have stabilized. Poaching (Figure 3), along with habitat loss, are the key factors prohibiting recovery of this population. WCS Russia s overall tiger program in the Russian Far East The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been active in the Russian Far East since 1992, working to conserve landscape species including Amur tigers, Amur leopards, and Blakiston s fish owls, whose survival ultimately requires the conservation of the forest ecosystem as a whole. Our science-based approach, which relies on the findings of our research to design effective conservation interventions, emphasizes close collaboration with local stakeholders to improve wildlife and habitat management, both within and outside of protected areas, inclusion of local communities in resolving resource use issues, and the application of robust monitoring programs to understand the effectiveness of conservation interventions. Poaching of tigers and their prey appears to be the number one threat to tigers in the Russian Far East. Our response is to focus first on regaining effective protection for tigers within key protected areas, given that protected areas are acting as de facto core breeding habitat. Despite this, densities of both tigers and their prey in protected areas are lower than the carrying capacity of the habitat. And in recent years (prior to WCS engagement), densities had dropped more within protected areas than outside. Given the importance of protected areas acting as source sites, these are high priority areas for effective conservation. Increased survival rates of adult tigers, especially females, appears to be the key ingredient to increasing productivity and growth rates of tigers (Chapron et al. 2008). Since poaching is the primary cause of mortality (Goodrich et al. 2008, Robinson et al. 2015), improving anti-poaching efforts is key to recovering tiger numbers. From , repeated restructuring of wildlife and forestry agencies within the Russian government resulted in budget shortfalls, loss of quality professional staff, and (at least for portions of that period) an absence of regulatory authority. Newly created national parks (three exist within tiger range in Russia) vary greatly in the level of funding, and well-organized, strategic anti-poaching activities were lacking in some. For instance, joint patrols between protected area inspectors and inspectors responsible for adjacent lands are rare, making apprehension of poachers along the border zone (where most violations occur) possible only if violators are apprehended within the reserve. In 2010, WCS began partnering with four Russian protected areas to introduce a new anti-poaching strategy to improve the effectiveness of law enforcement efforts, leading to lower levels of poaching and higher survival rates of tigers and prey species. As of 2015, this system has spread to six protected areas (Figure 4).

2 Our research also indicates that the development of extensive road networks (that often goes hand in hand with commercial logging), is not only leading to a fragmentation of the landscape, but is also facilitating illegal harvest of timber and wildlife. Roads provide access for poachers (Figure 5) and the increasing density of forest roads throughout the region is therefore posing a major threat to tigers and the ungulates upon which they depend. By working with local timber companies and local governments, we hope to close unneeded forest roads and thus reduce the rates of poaching and illegal logging. Option 1 for support Anti-poaching efforts: Improving Law Enforcement at key sites in the Russian Far East WCS has achieved considerable success in improving anti-poaching efforts across tiger range countries through a comprehensive program to improve ranger patrol skills, equipment, and strategic approaches. The biggest advantage of this anti-poaching strategy is the opportunity to measure and compare both efforts (e.g. kilometers patrolled) and results (e.g. number of arrests) both spatially and temporally. Together these data provide a more realistic picture of true poaching pressures, and an accurate portrayal of anti-poaching efforts and successes (or failures, as the case may be). This data-driven approach allows park managers to see strategically assess how their effort has been allocated across management units, where violations are most prevalent, and what can be done to rapidly reallocate law enforcement efforts. To date, employment of WCS s anti-poaching strategy has resulted in consistent improvements at six tiger source sites in Russia (Figure 4). Each law enforcement program has five key components: i) A training workshop to introduce staff of each protected area to the program, including training sessions and provision of necessary materials for collecting, storing, and managing patrol data (i.e. GPS units, mapping software, laptops). ii) Provision of operational support for anti-poaching patrols (i.e. fuel, vehicle maintenance, equipment). iii) A performance-based incentive scheme that rewards improvements in anti-poaching results. iv) Regular bi-monthly strategic planning meetings where inspectors can review results from the previous patrol cycle, identify new priorities, and discuss tactics for the next cycle of patrol activities. v) A biological monitoring program to track changes in tiger/prey densities and to provide insight into trends in tiger population dynamics. We now have several years of data from our first four sites where the anti-poaching strategy has been implemented, and we have documented significant improvements in anti-poaching effort (Figure 6). The new anti-poaching strategy has also resulted in greater patrol efforts and a reduction in threats. Data show that Amur tiger populations have been stable or increasing (Hotte et al. 2016). After hearing these results with clear measurements of effects, directors from Russian protected areas are strongly advocating adopting this anti-poaching strategy in protected areas across Russia. However, there is still much work to be done before the strategy is fully sustainable. Indeed, the introduction of this kind of information-led approach to law enforcement represents a major cultural shift in operating procedures of Russian protected areas and we therefore institutionalization of the process at protected areas is expected to take 3 7 years. During the consolidation phase of this project, WCS efforts will focus on continued capacity building of Protected Area staff, and enhanced collaboration and cooperation between enforcement agencies. Your support for WCS Russia s anti-poaching program, through the Tiger Conservation Campaign, will ensure that key protected areas for Amur tigers are better protected against poaching, with increased reproduction and survival rates of tigers and their prey species. This will ultimately result in an increase in tiger populations both within Russian protected areas and in adjacent lands.

3 Option 2 for Support Logging Road Closures The vast majority of tiger habitat in Russia exists outside protected areas, where hunters, loggers and people in search of non-timber forest products (berries, nuts, etc.) are all competing with tigers for space and resources. Logging has multiple, often indirect, but no less insidious, effects on tigers. While harvesting timber obviously changes forest structure, the development of an extensive logging road network, is, in our view, even more insidious, as it provides access for a wide range of illegal activities, ranging from illegal timber harvest, to poaching of prey and even tigers themselves. Once built, these roads are generally unattended, and provide access to thousands of square kilometers of areas previously reached only on foot (Figures 7 and 8). Given that most Amur tiger habitat is outside of protected areas, WCS s Russia Program recognizes the need to address this pressing problem. WCS Russia has been working with regional stakeholders to manage the logging road network since 2012, but our biggest breakthrough came in 2015, when we reached an agreement with the largest logging company working in Ternei County to address this issue. To date, access has been limited to approximately 75 km of logging roads (providing access to 350 km 2 of forest). In 2016, we intend to continue this momentum by identifying additional roads for closure, monitoring those roads to assess effectiveness of the closures, educating local hunting groups about road closures and including them in the decision-making process, and advertising these efforts in tiger conservation publicity campaigns. i) Reduce threats to tigers and their prey outside of protected areas in Ternei County, Russia, by reducing access to forest roads. The vast majority of the forest road network in Ternei County (90-95%) was created by a single logging company (TerneyLes), with whom we reached an agreement in May 2015 to reduce access to a selection of logging roads. Once roads are identified for closure, they will be closed either by using large, earthen berms, or by bridge removals. We will monitor these roads pre- and post-closure using discrete camera traps to gauge intensity of use by humans and assess effectiveness of closures. ii) Promote utility of road closures within the hunting community. Most forests in Ternei County are multiple-use lands. For example, the Ternei Forest Department issues logging permits to TerneyLes in the same areas where the Wildlife Department issues hunting lease permits to local villagers. Consequently, hunters use the logging roads network to access their legally defined hunting leases, and some individuals may not be in favor of our proposed road closure plan. If roads are blocked without their prior knowledge or consent, they may destroy blockages to regain access. Therefore, any traction we gain with TerneyLes on road closures should be buttressed with support from the hunting community. In order to gain such backing, we will work jointly with the Ternei LesKhoz and the County Wildlife Department to explain the value of road closures to hunters (e.g., describe how limiting access protects their animals from poachers from outside their community and their forests from forest fires) as well as to biodiversity conservation. To make hunters feel part of the closure process, we will also solicit recommendations on closure locations and strategies. Your support for WCS Russia s logging road closures program, through the Tiger Conservation Campaign, will allow us to work with logging companies and hunters to identify and close old logging roads in Amur tiger areas thereby reducing poacher access.

4 Figure 1. Amur tigers in the wild.

5 Figure 2. Distribution of the Amur Tiger in the Russian Far East.

6 Figure 3. Two poachers apprehended near Ternei, Primorskii Krai. Photograph courtesy A. Khobotnyov.

7 Figure 4. Protected areas with Amur tigers in Primorskii and Khabarovskii Krais (Provinces), Russian Far East, where WCS s anti-poaching strategy has been introduced (or where initial discussions to implement the strategy have begun). 1= Land of the Leopard National Park (initiated 2010), 2 = Ussuriiskii Reserve (initiated 2013), 3 = Lazovskii Reserve (initiated 2010), 4 = Zov Tigra National Park (initiated 2011), 5 = Sikhote-Alin Reserve (initiated 2011), 6 = Udegeiskaya Legenda National Park (joint patrols with Sikhote- Alin team started in 2014), 7 = Bolshekhekhtsirski Reserve (initial discussions began in 2015), and 8 = Annui National Park (initial discussions began in 2015).

8 Figure 5. Poachers cruise an unused logging road at night, spotlighting for deer. Photograph WCS Russia. Figure 6. Three indicators of law enforcement effort (number of foot patrols, motorized patrols, and total hours on patrol) in four protected areas [a] Land of the Leopard National Park (LLNP), [b] Lazovskii State Zapovednik (LAZO), [c] Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik (SABZ) and [d] Zov Tigra National Park (ZOTI)) of the Russian Far East, Figure from Hotte et al

9 Figure 7. An old logging road in Ternei County, Russia. Photograph J. Slaght, WCS Russia. Figure 8. A male Amur tiger walks along an old logging road in Primorye. Image WCS Russia.

10 Bibliography Chapron, C., D.G. Miquelle, A. Lambert, J.M. Goodrich, S. Legendre, and J. Clobert The impact of poaching versus prey depletion on tigers and other large solitary felids. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: Global Tiger Recovery Program. Global Tiger Recovery Program ( ) Conference Document for Endorsement. Goodrich, J.M., L.L. Kerley, E.N. Smirnov, D.G. Miquelle, L. McDonald, H.B. Quigley, M.G. Hornocker, and T. McDonald Survival rates and causes of mortality of Amur tigers on and near the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik. Journal of Zoology 276: Hötte, M., I. Kolodin, S. Bereznuk, J. Slaght, L. Kerley, S. Soutyrina, G. Salkina, O. Zaumyslova, E. Sokes, and D. Miquelle Indicators of success for smart law enforcement in protected areas: A case study for Russian Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) reserves. Integrative Zoology 11:2-15. Miquelle, D.G.,, D.G. Pikunov, Y.M. Dunishenko, V.V. Aramilev, I.G. Nikolaev, V.K. Abramov, E.N. Smirnov, G.P. Salkina, I.V. Seryodkin, V.V. Gapanov, P.V. Fomenko, M.N. Litvinov, A.V. Kostyria, V.G. Yudin, V.G. Korkisko, and A.A. Murzin Amur tiger census. Cat News 46: Robinson, H.S., J.M. Goodrich, D.G. Miquelle, C.S. Miller, and I.V. Seryodkin Mortality of Amur tigers: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Integrative Zoology 10(4):