The deplorable situation in which the population of the Far Eastern leopard and other species of plants and animals from the Red Book living in the Primorsky Territory found themselves forced the scientific community, the public and government officials to radically approach this issue. As a result, the "Land of the Leopard" was established - a national park, which was formed by merging and re-subordinating nature conservation objects.
The history of the formation of the park "Land of the Leopard"
The creation of the park dates back to April 5, 2012, when the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on its establishment was issued. However, the story goes back to 1910. It was then that the Slavic Forestry was first founded, and on May 25, 1916, the project of the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve was approved by a decree of the Primorsky Forest Society. At first, its area was 4.5 thousand hectares. In 1951, it was increased to 17.5 thousand. By this year, the fauna of southwestern Primorye had become significantly impoverished: the red wolf, red deer and sable had disappeared. In Korea, China, southern Sikhote-Alin and in the vicinity of Lake Khanka, the populationFar Eastern leopard has practically ceased to exist.
To save the individuals that survived, in 1979 the "Barsovy" reserve was organized, and in 1996 - "Borisovskoye Plateau", united in 2008 into one object called "Leopardovy". He, along with the reserve "Cedar Pad", became part of the conservation structure called "Land of the Leopard".
The tasks and activities of the national park
Before its creation, only about 30 representatives of the Far Eastern subspecies of the leopard lived in nature, but after a year of work, almost 50 individuals were recorded by camera traps. The goal is to bring this number up to 100-120 cats in order to ensure the safe survival of the species. Primorsky Krai is the only place on the planet where the range of this animal has been preserved, which has halved over the past 2 decades. Therefore, the main task of the park is to preserve and increase the population of the species.
Tourism is actively developing: ecological paths and tourist routes are being laid and certified, the territory is being improved. Excursions along the route "Trail of the leopard" are already being carried out. Photohunting is being introduced: for this purpose, photostores are being set up - special disguised houses for two people, inside which photohunters wait for the animals to appear.
Far Eastern leopard
This is the least numerous and almost the smallest, but the most frost-resistant subspecies of the spottedpredator out of nine existing, which is given the closest attention in the territory of the "Land of the Leopard" nature protection complex. The national park has all the conditions for successful reproduction of the population.
He has excellent eyesight: from a distance of 1.5 km, the animal is able to see its prey, so for settlement it prefers steep ridges, which also help it avoid meeting the tiger, its natural enemy. He is an excellent climber, runner, swimmer and jumper. From a place, the Far Eastern leopard can jump five meters high. It achieves this result thanks to its long tail, which also serves as a balancer when maneuvering and descending from a steep slope. The Far Eastern leopard is capable of carrying prey twice its own weight.
Interesting facts about the National Park "Land of the Leopard"
The maximum number of wildlife species in Northeast Asia is concentrated in the park, including about 40 rare and endangered species listed in the Red Book of Russia and the IUCN, requiring urgent measures to save them. Among them live the Amur goral, Japanese mohera (a kind of mole), giant shrew, Nepalese marten (harza) and other animals that successfully exist in the Land of the Leopard nature conservation complex.
The national park covers about 60% (360,000 hectares under various protection regimes) of the range of the Amur leopard. All are located herefamous "maternity hospitals" used by predators for many generations. Along with the Far Eastern subspecies of the leopard, there are 10 Amur tigers - the largest cats on earth, as well as a lynx and a forest cat.
Primorsky Krai, together with the Caucasus, was not affected by the last icing, thanks to which not only the rich fauna, but also the flora, was preserved. For this reason, relict plant species of the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods grow here, as well as 8 varieties of maple, 5 species of birch, yew, Korean pine, Manchurian aralia.
Leopard Land borders
The territory of the park is located in the South-West of Primorsky Krai and covers the environs of Khasansky, Nadezhdinsky and Ussuriysky districts, as well as the city of Vladivostok: starting from the Amur Bay (Sea of Japan) to the border with China and further, from the southern limits of the Poltavsky nature reserve The Land of the Leopard extends to the bed of the Tumannaya River on the state border of the Russian Federation.
The national park is mostly located in the Khasan region and is stretched from south to north for about 150 km. The entire western border of the reserve runs along the state border of Russia with China. The eastern side partially stretches next to the Razdolnoe-Khasan railway, goes to the section of the Melkovodnaya Bay in the area of st. "Primorskaya" and rests against the shore of the Amur Bay.
Leopard Trail
This 1,680 meter ecological trail has been in operation since 2006. There are two-hour tours on it. In continuation of thisDuring the event, you can not only enjoy the beauty of the forest landscape, but also learn how the Land of the Leopard Reserve was formed, hear entertaining stories about the unique Far Eastern leopard and the nature of this region.
The trail, with a height difference of 100 meters, is equipped with observation platforms, rest stops, information stands and bridges over picturesque ravines. The route crosses areas of broad-leaved forest with plantations of cedar of different ages and rare plants, and also passes through a fern forest. These zones give a clear idea of the "home" of the leopard. History buffs will be able to see the remains of fortifications left after the battles of the Soviet troops with the Japanese and Chinese armies.
Land of the Leopard Zones
The entire territory of the national park is divided into sectors of different regimes. The protected area (30,000 ha) covers the Borisov Plateau, where the most important places for the leopard are located. A specially protected area of 120 thousand hectares is located along the border strip. Its purpose, in addition to protecting the leopard, is to strengthen the protection of the state border. You can enter here only with a special pass.
The area of the so-called economic zone is 38 thousand hectares. It includes state land reserves, agricultural land and military training grounds. The recreational zone with an area of 72 thousand hectares was created with the aim of organizing outdoor recreation and educational tourism. Along with the household, available for freevisiting and fishing, picking up mushrooms and berries.
