The deplorable situation in which the Far Eastern leopard population and other species of plants and animals from the Red Book living in the Primorye Territory found themselves in has 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 that was formed by the merger and reassignment of nature conservation sites.
The history of the formation of the park "Land of the Leopard"
The creation of the park dates back to April 5, 2012, when a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on its establishment was issued. However, the story originates in the distant 1910. It was then that the Slavic Forestry was first founded, and on May 25, 1916, a draft of the Kedrovaya Pad reserve was approved by the 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 has become significantly impoverished: the red wolf, wapiti and sable have disappeared. In Korea, China, southern Sikhote Alin, and in the vicinity of Lake Khanka, the Far Eastern leopard population has virtually ceased to exist.
In order to preserve the individuals that survived, the Barsovy nature reserve was organized in 1979, and the Borisov Plateau in 1996, combined in 2008 into one object called Leopard. He, along with the reserve "Cedar Pad", became part of an environmental structure called "Land of the Leopard."
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 working with camera traps, almost 50 individuals were recorded. The task is to bring this number to 100-120 cats in order to ensure safe survival of the mind. 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 number of species.
The tourist destination is actively developing: laying and certification of ecological trails and tourist routes are being carried out, the territory is being improved. Excursions along the Leopard Trail route are already underway. Hunting is being introduced: for this purpose photolabs are being arranged - special camouflaged houses for two people, inside of which the hunters are waiting for the appearance of animals.
Far Eastern Leopard
This is the smallest and almost the smallest, but the most frost-resistant subspecies of the spotted predator out of nine existing, which is given the closest attention in the territory of the Leopard Land conservation complex. The national park has all the conditions for the successful reproduction of the population.
He has excellent vision: from a distance of 1.5 km, the beast is able to see his prey, so for settlement he prefers steep ridges, which also help him avoid meeting with the tiger - his natural enemy. He is an excellent climber, runner, swimmer and jumper. A Far Eastern leopard can jump up to five meters in height. He achieves this result thanks to his long tail, which also serves as a balancer when maneuvering and descending from a steep slope. The Far Eastern leopard is able to drag prey, exceeding its own weight by 2 times.
Interesting facts about the Leopard Land National Park
The park has concentrated the maximum number of species of the animal world in Northeast Asia, of which about 40 are rare and endangered, listed in the Red Book of Russia and IUCN, requiring urgent measures to save them. Among them live the Amur goral, Japanese mohair (a species of mole), giant shrew, Nepalese marten (harza) and other animals that successfully exist in the Leopard Land conservation complex.
The national park covers about 60% (360 thousand ha, taken under various protection regimes) of the range of the Far Eastern leopard. All the well-known "maternity hospitals" are located here, which are used by predators for many generations. Along with the Far Eastern subspecies of the leopard, there are 10 Amur tigers - the largest feline on earth, as well as a lynx and forest cat.
The Primorsky Territory, along with the Caucasus, was not affected by the last icing, due to which not only rich fauna, but also 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 trees, pointed yew, Korean pine, and Aralia Manchurian.
The boundaries of the “Land of the Leopard”
The territory of the park is located in the South-West of Primorsky Krai and covers the surroundings of the Khasansky, Nadezhdinsky and Ussuriysky districts, as well as the city of Vladivostok: from the Amursky Bay (Sea of Japan) to the border with China and further, from the southern limits of the Poltava Nature Reserve to the bed of the Tumannaya River on the state border of the Russian Federation extends the "Land of the Leopard."
The national park is mostly located in the Khasan region and stretches from south to north for about 150 km. The entire western border of the reserve runs along the state border of Russia with the PRC. The eastern side partially stretches next to the Razdolnoye-Khasan railway, goes to the site of Melkovodnaya Bay in the vicinity of Art. "Seaside" and rests on the shore of the Amur Bay.
Leopard Trail
This 1680-meter long ecological trail has been operating since 2006. Two-hour excursions are held on it. In continuation of this event, you can not only enjoy the beauties of the forest landscape, but also learn how the Leopard Land nature reserve was formed, hear interesting stories about the unique Far Eastern leopard and the nature of this land.
The trail, which has a height difference of 100 meters, is equipped with observation platforms, rest parking lots, information stands and bridges through picturesque gorges. The route crosses sections of broad-leaved forest by planting cedar of different ages and rare plants, and also passes through a fern forest. These zones give a clear idea of the leopard's “home”. History buffs will be able to see the remains of the defenses left after the battles of the Soviet troops with the Japanese and Chinese armies.
