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Amur-Heilong
Species
The Amur-Heilong harbors an incredible variety of species, many of which exist only in this remote region. On the Russian side of the river alone, there are some 2,800 plant and 500 animal species. This unique place is also home to some spectacular — and spectacularly endangered — species such as the Amur leopard and Amur tiger.
© Vasily Solkin
Amur leopard
The Amur leopard sits perilously on the brink of extinction. Approximately three dozen of these amazing creatures roam the forests of Russia's southwestern Primorskii Province. The range and population of the leopard have decreased in the past 50 years and only three to five new litters are registered annually. Leopards have been observed in northeastern China and North Korea, but only in isolated instances. Our long-term conservation goal for leopard conservation in the Amur-Heilong is to enlarge and maintain a genetically viable population of at least 50 individuals in southwestern Primorskii and, because a population of 50 individuals is still dangerously close to extinction, we must also create new founder populations in the animal's former range.
Learn more.
The Amur tiger is slowly making a comeback.
© WWF-Canon / Vladimir Filonov
Amur tiger
The long-term viability of this cat depends on an increasing population of prey species such as deer. Recent evidence of a female and two cubs nearly 400 miles from the core of the tiger's current range is evidence that the current population may be expanding its presence.
Big Fish in a Big Pond
Mongolian Taimen film a Finalist at 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
This engaging documentary explores a unique partnership to conserve one of the world’s most charismatic fish – the taimen. Learn more
Siberian taimen
The Siberian taimen is both the world's largest fish in the salmonid family and, like the Oriental white stork, an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. And, importantly for the Amur-Heilong, it is an indicator of the health of the river's headwaters in northeastern Mongolia. Not unlike the tiger and leopard downstream, the taimen is a top predator and reproduces at a late age. Potential dams near the headwaters certainly threaten the taimen's existence — as would future mining concessions in northeastern Mongolia. But the most intense pressure on this unique species comes from overfishing, mostly by wealthy anglers in search of a trophy fish.
© HRF / www.herbs.org
Ginseng
Ginseng root has been treasured for its healing powers for centuries. Collection of wild ginseng has led to its disappearance or decline over much of its former range in the Russian Far East. The depletion of this unique species has had both an ecological and economic impact in the region, as local people depend heavily on ginseng collection for sale in the traditional Chinese medicine market. Our goal is to conserve viable ginseng populations in the wild and to restore the plant in parts of the former range, while at the same time allowing local people to profit from the sustainable harvest of the wild plants.
© WWF / Yury Darman
Oriental white stork
The Oriental white stork serves as an 'umbrella species' for the conservation of the Amur-Heilong watershed, indicating the health of the entire ecosystem. The long-term survival of this species will depend on securing at least 500 nesting pairs on the Russian side of the Amur River — with more research needed to determine optimal numbers for the Chinese side. Special attention must also be paid to conserving the wintering and stopover areas in places such as the Yangtze River Basin. The protection of this migrant species is a perfect example of how successful conservation must work across borders. While the white stork will require special work to ensure that fire, agriculture and logging do not destroy nesting sites, it also requires a unified approach that coordinates conservation activities from southern China to the Russian Far East.
© WWF-Canon / Hartmut Jungius
Red-crowned crane
The wetland ecosystems of the Amur-Heilong offer important refuge for red-crowned cranes and other waterfowl traveling the northeast Asia migratory route. WWF and our regional partners have created a series of linked protected areas known as the Amur Green Corridor in order to protect waterfowl and other key species in the region. Only through close coordination and cooperation between the governments of Russia, China, and Mongolia can we achieve effective habitat protection for migratory species such as cranes. By 2010, WWF and our conservation partners are seeking to protect almost 3 million acres of wetlands along the Amur-Heilong.
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