A keeper interacts with an Amur tiger cub in Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on November 21, 2024. Photo: IC

Recently, the footage of a wild Amur tiger captured in the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Northeast China's Jilin Province has gone viral on social media, igniting discussions among wildlife enthusiasts. Animal experts said it reflects the positive outcomes of China's conservation efforts.

The increase in the number of tigers in recent years is attributed to a combination of robust wildlife protection measures undertaken by both China and Russia. Experts told Global Times that future conservation will incorporate even more technological advancements to protect these tigers.

Endangered tiger spotted

The Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve has recorded footage of a wild Amur tiger, as well as tracks left by the big cat, according to the provincial forestry and grassland bureau on Tuesday.

The discovery is proof that wild Amur tigers have returned to the hinterland of Changbai Mountain after three decades, and signifies the ongoing expansion of the species' habitat.

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, mainly reside in Russia's Far East and Northeast China. As one of the world's most endangered species, just over 10 wild Amur tigers were believed to be living in China at the end of the 20th century.

Inbreeding has resulted in low population immunity and population decline, threatening the sustainable survival and development of the tigers, Feng Limin, a professor of Beijing Normal University and director of National Forestry and Grassland Administration Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard Monitoring and Research Station, told Global times on Thursday.

Cross-border endeavor

As one of the 13 countries where tigers live, China has dedicated itself to preserving this endangered species and helping in the recovery of its population through afforestation efforts, hunting bans and rewilding training programs.

In recent years, China has continuously implemented measures to protect wild Amur tigers, establishing the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, one of the first national parks. In Russia, the Land of the Leopard National Park and others have also been strengthening the protection of wild tigers, Feng added.

As the tigers frequently move between China and Russia, cooperation between the two sides is of vital importance, said Liu Ming, an associate researcher from the International Society of Zoological Sciences, Xinhua reported.

The world's first cross-border protected natural area for the conservation of wild Far Eastern leopards was established near the borders of China and Russia in May of 2024. The agreement between the China and Russia on the creation of the Land of Big Cats Reserve was signed by the relevant departments of the two countries during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, according to the Russian Geographical Society, a non-government organization.

The park, "Land of the Big Cats," combines China's Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park with Russia's Land of the Leopard National Park and Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve.

On August 22, following the 29th regular meeting of the prime ministers of Russia and China held the previous day, a joint communiqué was issued stating that measures will be intensified to protect the populations of the Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard.

"Work on the creation of a cross-border reserve has been going on for more than 10 years. The agreement marks a new milestone in environmental cooperation between the two countries," said Alexander Kozlov, the Minister of Natural Resources of Russia. "The primary tasks will be the unification of animal counting methods and the establishment of joined photo-monitoring."

Feng said that with the strong support from local border management authorities, we have opened more than 290 wildlife passages along the China-Russia border, removing parts of the border fencing to facilitate the movement of wild animals.

Wang Aimin, the chief representative of the Wildlife Conservation Society Beijing Office, has been working in wildlife conservation for many years. He told the Global Times on Thursday that, on an academic level, Chinese and Russian experts have maintained close exchanges in the conservation of tigers and leopards, conducting seminars, technical cooperation, and experience sharing.

Besides of communications between experts, frontline breeders also learn from each other. Russia started earlier in tiger and leopard conservation and has rich experience, Wang added.

According to data from the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park Administration, the populations of wild Amur tigers and Amur leopards have grown to 50 and 60, respectively. Both species are experiencing a reproductive peak and a period of rapid population growth, with a strong trend of migration and expansion inland. Additionally, more than 50 percent of Amur tiger cubs survive to adulthood.

As wild Amur tigers make a comeback and thrive in the park, the likelihood of encounters between tigers and people living in the area is on the rise.

Deep inside a dense forest in Northeast China, a Siberian tiger cub was cuddling and playing with its mother. This heartwarming scene in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park was streamed in real-time on an intelligent screen at the park's control room.

Such new technologies, including early warning systems and thousands of smart cameras, have greatly mitigated human-tiger conflicts in the park spanning over 14,000 square kilometers.

According to statistics from the park, since the establishment of the integrated space-aerial-ground monitoring system, over 26,000 sightings of tiger and 34,000 sightings of leopards have been recorded. Additionally, more than 20,000 early warnings regarding human-tiger conflicts have been issued. The system has enabled round-the-clock monitoring of over 30 species, with recognition accuracy exceeding 90 percent for tigers and leopards.

The monitoring system uses satellites, drones, and ground-based methods for ecosystem monitoring. Satellites provide macro-level monitoring with visible light, infrared, and microwave sensors, transmitting data to cloud platforms for further analyses. Drones focus on medium- and small-scale assessments of key areas, while ground-based methods include field surveys and manual sampling for detailed observations, Feng noted.

This is currently the only large-scale monitoring system in the world, equivalent to installing "eyes and ears" capable of seeing and hearing over long distances in a forest area the size of Beijing, Feng said.

Forest rangers are the frontline workers for the "ground" component. Compared with earlier years, patrol work now benefits from more technological support, according to the China News Service. They carry WiFi devices that maintain network signals even deep in the mountains and forests, allowing them to communicate with the base through WeChat. Feng said that China has accumulated lots of successful experiences in tiger and leopard conservation, including the establishment of protected areas and national parks, as well as patrol enforcement. These experiences are gradually being shared and exchanged with over 20 Belt and Road Initiative participating countries.

In the future, new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, will be applied to tiger conservation, the expert said.

At the same time, new technologies will be developed to monitor the location of tigers and leopards and their distance from humans, providing early warnings of potential human-tiger conflicts and improving the ability to handle emergency situations, Wang stated. "The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth."