5 September 2022
The 2nd International Tiger Forum took place on 5 September – the opening day of the Eastern Economic Forum. The Forum venue was attended by over 2,000 participants from Russia and 44 foreign countries and territories.
The business programme opened with a video address to Forum guests and participants from Russian President Vladimir Putin: “A new meeting of representatives of the tiger range states was planned 12 years ago in St Petersburg, at the first ever event called ‘tiger summit.’ We are pleased that many of the goals we set then have been achieved. The total number of these exceptionally beautiful predators has grown by 40 percent globally since 2010… I am pleased to praise the achievements of our colleagues from India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China, where the tiger populations are growing steadily. We in Russia also have something to be proud of. Twelve years ago, there were no more than 390 adult Amur tigers in our Far Eastern taiga. Now there are about 750 of them, including cubs.”
The Forum business programme had a total of five events. Three sessions were dedicated to the Amur tiger: ‘The Tiger and Science: Study to Preserve’, ‘Environmental Awareness, Community Outreach to Support Tiger Conservation, and the Mobilization of Financial Resources’, and ‘Best Practices for Tiger Conservation’. It also had a session on preserving the Amur leopard and a plenary session, where representatives of the tiger range countries reported on the national tiger conservation programme status.
“Forum participants did not just share their experience but discussed new threats to the Amur tiger. All the proposed measures to mitigate those threats will be analyzed and put into practice,” noted Konstantin Chuichenko, Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
Speakers at the Forum were representatives of the scientific community, international environment protection organizations, business, and government, including Konstantin Chuichenko, Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation; Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation; Aliya Shalabekova, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources; Khin Maung Yi, Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Pham Van Dien, Deputy Director General of Administration of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Thongphath Vongmany, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; Somphot Duangchantrasiri, Scientist of Senior Professional Level of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Kingdom of Thailand; Ram Chandra Kandel, Director General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Ministry of Forests and Environment of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal; Mohd Taufik Bin Abdul Rahman, Director of Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Malaysia); Chea Sam Ang, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Sin Hong Chol, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the Russian Federation; Satya Prakash Yadav, Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of the Republic of India.
The Forum venue was also visited by 3 heads of federal services and agencies, 13 heads of Russian regions, representatives of the Amur Tiger Centre and heads of specially protected natural areas and hunting control services in the tiger range.
“The global community came to realize that it is not possible to harmoniously exist and sustainably develop without the priority of wildlife as the key indicator of biological and economic prosperity. Tiger conservation is a good example. Tiger range countries and international environment protection organizations and agencies combined their efforts to protect the striped predator on the global scale. The Forum has become a platform for constructive dialogue for everyone who is willing to share experience and open to cooperation. It showed that tiger range countries and the global community can protect this unique animal in its natural habitat only through combined efforts and mutual support,” noted Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the Forum Organizing Committee.
The Vladivostok Declaration on Tiger Conservation has become the main outcome of the 2nd International Tiger Forum. All tiger range countries signed it.
In addition to the business programme, the information about the tiger population was also available at the stands of the Forum participants. For example, at the stand of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, visitors could learn about all tiger subspecies and the countries where they live, the threats faced by the predator, and how the Amur tiger is being protected in Russia.
“Today we have summarized the results of twelve years of work by the tiger range countries. Experts estimate that there are now about five thousand tigers living in the wild. Populations have grown in Russia, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Indonesia. This is the result of hard conservation work by states, public and scientific organizations. But, unfortunately, in some countries the number of tigers has decreased. Undoubtedly, we need to understand why it has happened and strive to improve the situation within the next 12 years. We also have one more country that will restore the tiger population. This is Kazakhstan. We hope that they will succeed in this aim and by the year 2034 (when we will sum up results of the next 12-year period) they will achieve significant results in the reintroduction of tigers in their country,” commented Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.
In addition, the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition hosted the opening ceremony of the ‘House of Tiger’ interactive pavilion dedicated to the theme of the 2nd International Tiger Forum. The exposition will introduce visitors to the world of the amazing striped predator, explain its evolution, explain the reasons behind the catastrophic decline in the global population of this big cat, and explain the efforts our country is taking to conserve it. The House of Tiger pavilion is open for visitors and participants of the Tiger Forum and the 7th Eastern Economic Forum from 5 to 8 September. After the Forums are over, the pavilion will be open until 11 September. Access to the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition is free for Vladivostok residents and visitors.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, the Amur Tiger Centre, and the Roscongress Foundation. The strategic partner of the Tiger Forum is Rosseti; the official airline is Aeroflot; and the official partners are Vostokcement Group, Russian Railways, the SK Royal chain of business hotels, and Pacific Investment Group.
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