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International Forum on Tiger and Leopard Transboundary Conservation

28 July 2019 - 29 July 2019
Harbin, China
Harbin

International Forum on Tiger and Leopard Transboundary Conservation was held in the Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China from 28 to 29 of July 2019. Attended by more than 300 representatives and experts from 19 countries and 12 international organizations, the Forum was jointly organized by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) of China, Northeast Forestry University, North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), international NGOs and local administrations in China. It extensively covered various issues on big cat conservation, from progress made in each range country to cutting-edge technologies for monitoring and restoration of the species. The forum adopted “Harbin consensus on strengthening cooperation in cross-border conservation of tigers and leopards”, which highlighted the needs to establish transboundary protected areas and ecological corridors; improve information sharing mechanisms; and harmonize technical standards for monitoring. 

In parallel, NEASPEC Secretariat and Department of Wildlife Conservation of NFGA jointly organized Workshop on Transboundary Conservation of Big Cat Species in North-East Asia as one of the parallel sessions on 29 July 2019. Recognizing the previous NEASPEC project on scientific assessment in the Sino-Russian border as a good example of transboundary cooperation (for more details, "Transborder Movement of Amur Tigers and Amur Leopards Using Camera Trapping and Molecular Genetic Analysis"), the Workshop sought views from leading scientisits and government officials on a follow-up NEASPEC project to leverage synergies with ongoing initiatives including the Harbin Consensus. Newly identified activities are expected to commence in early 2020, focusing on transborder areas in the Sino-Russian border (Amur tiger and Amur leopard) and Mongolia-Russian border (Snow leopard). 

29 Jul 2019
Opening
  • Opening Remarks: Mr. Sangmin Nam, Deputy Head of ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office/NEASPEC Secretariat
  • Welcoming Remarks: Mr. Wu Zhimin, Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China
Session 1: Progress review on scientific assessment on big cat species and their habitats

This session will review the latest progress on scientific assessment to conserve big cat species and their habitats in North-East Asia and discuss how to institutionalize cooperation on scientific assessment.

  • Moderator: Mr. Sangmin Nam, ESCAP ENEA/NEASPEC Secretariat
  • Presenters:
    • “Proposals for Sino-Russia tiger and leopard conservation”, Prof. Jiang Guangshun, Feline Research Centre, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China
    • “Ensure transboundary cooperation between neighbouring protected areas”, Dr. Yury Darman, Deputy Director of Science, Land of the Leopard National Park
    • “Conservation research and practice for big cats of China in the context of internationalization”, Prof. Shi Kun, Director of Wildlife Institute, Beijing Forestry University
    • “Transboundary scientific research of the Far eastern Leopard and Amur tiger”, Dr. Aleksei Kostyria, Senior Coordinator, WWF-Russia Amur Branch
    • “The wild cat species in Mongolia: Research and Conservation”, Dr. Munkhtsog Bariushaa, Associate Professor, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolia Academy of Sciences
    • “A conceptual framework for the Amur Leopard Restoration in the Republic of Korea”, Dr. JeongEun Lim, Senior Researcher, Research Center for Endangered Species, National institute of Ecology, Republic of Korea
Break
Session 2: Roundtable discussion to develop a platform for transboundary cooperation

This session will discuss a follow-up NEASPEC project to establish a platform for joint scientific assessment and information sharing.

  • Moderator: Mr. Sangmin Nam, ESCAP ENEA/NEASPEC Secretariat
  • Panelists:
    • Prof. Jiang Guangshun, Northeast Forestry University
    • Prof. Shi Kun, Beijing Forestry University
    • Dr. Yury Darman, Land of the Leopard National Park
    • Dr. Munkhtsog Bariushaa, Mongolia Academy of Sciences
    • Dr. JeongEun Lim, National Institute of Ecology
    • Mr. Oleg Kobiakov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation
  • Discussion topics:
    • What would be the most urgent issue for joint scientific research to be conducted under NEASPEC?
    • How to mitigate conflicts between big cat conservation and community development?
    • What would be the main bottlenecks for establishing a transboundary cooperation mechanism on the conservation of big cat species?
    • What could be international collaborative strategies for conservation and monitoring of cross-border distribution of big cats in Northeast Asia?