Science and Technology Daily, Harbin, May 22 (Reporter Li Liyun and Zhu Hong) This year's May 22 is the 24th International Biodiversity Day. The reporter learned from the Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard National Park that, as the only habitat and protection area with wild Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard breeding populations in China, the population of wild Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard in the Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard National Park area has increased year by year. From 2021 to 2024, the number of Amur tigers and Amur leopards in the park will increase by about 20 respectively, and the population of Amur tigers and Amur leopards is in a benign growth trend of accelerating recovery.
The Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard National Park covers a total area of 14100 square kilometers, spanning Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. In order to better understand the real-time activities of wild animals such as Amur tiger and Amur leopard, the park has developed a "heaven, earth and air" integrated monitoring system by integrating big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other technologies and using terminal monitoring equipment such as real-time transmission infrared cameras, and has mastered a large number of wild animal images and real-time video data.
Duan Zhaogang, Director of the National Park Administration for Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard, said that before the implementation of the system pilot construction of the National Park in 2015, the number of wild Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard was 27 and 42 respectively; By the end of the pilot project in 2021, the number of wild Amur tigers in the park will increase to more than 50, and the number of Amur leopards will increase to more than 60. The latest monitoring data shows that there are about 70 wild Amur tigers and 80 wild Amur leopards living stably in the park. Their activities cover an area of 11000 square kilometers, accounting for about 80% of the total area of the park.
It is worth mentioning that with the continuous progress of protection, the survival rate of Amur tiger and leopard cubs has also increased from 33% before the establishment of the National Park to more than 50% now. In 2023, the population of wild Amur tiger and Amur leopard in the park will increase, and more than 20 newly bred tigers and 15 leopards will be monitored.
"More than a decade ago, there were few wild animals on the mountain. With the strengthening of ecological protection and restoration, the quality of wildlife habitat has been continuously improved, and the population of wild animals has doubled, so the Amur tiger has been able to appear frequently." Professor Feng Limin, deputy director of the Monitoring and Research Center for Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard of the National Forestry and Grass Administration, said that in 2023, the Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard National Park will be photographed more than 9900 times.
It is understood that the number of tigers and leopards in the National Park of Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard has not only increased, but also the population of ungulates has increased significantly. The population of sika deer, wild boar, roe deer and other main prey for tigers and leopards has all doubled.
