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Amur-Heilong
Refuge for the world’s great cats
The Amur River is at the center of a 380 million acre watershed
that is home to the largest contiguous forest left on earth.
© WWF-Canon/Hartmut Jungius
Imagine a forest of pine and spruce, maple and oaks, a seemingly endless blanket of color in the fall. Now imagine that forest as home to the Amur tiger, the reclusive Amur leopard, flocks of Oriental white stork and red-crowned cranes, with waters full of the world's largest salmon, the 150-pound Siberian taimen. That seemingly mystical place is the Amur-Heilong.
The Amur River — the longest undammed river in the Eastern Hemisphere — lies at the heart of the region. Surrounding the Amur River is a watershed of over 380 million acres — slightly larger than the state of Alaska. This basin is home to vast steppe grasslands, the unbroken taiga biome, and the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world. A political boundary, the river separates the Russian Far East from China's eastern Heilongjiang province. The headwaters of this great river are born near the sacred mountain of Burkan Khaldun in northeastern Mongolia. This landscape is the birthplace of Genghis Khan and to this day remains sacred to the people of Mongolia.
The population in northeastern China has risen sharply over the past decade. One of the region's largest conservation challenges is balancing the need for economic development with achieving sustainable land use, keeping the needs of indigenous people in mind.
Dams, pollution, habitat conversion and trade in endangered wildlife all threaten the health of the Amur-Heilong Basin. In addition to local pressures, this fragile ecosystem is imperiled by the demand for timber, energy and animal products from countries such as China, Japan, Korea and the United States.
WWF's vision: Protect species, habitats and entire ecosystems through innovative conservation that provides economic opportunities for the people who live here and rely on its natural resources.
The place. The Amur-Heilong watershed spans over 380 million acres—an area equal in size to Alaska. Forming near the sacred mountain Burkhan Khaldun of Mongolia, the river journeys 2,750 miles through the heart of a remarkable wilderness and across northeast Asia toward the Sea of Okhotsk to create a natural border between China and the Russian Far East.
The species. The Amur-Heilong harbors an incredible variety of species, many of which exist only in this remote region. With flocks of Oriental white stork and redcrowned cranes, the Amur-Heilong’s old-growth deciduous and coniferous forests are home to tigers, leopards, musk deer and brown bears. Its rich diversity of flora and fauna include wild ginseng, long treasured for its traditional medicinal uses.
The people. Rapid population growth in northeastern China is putting pressure on indigenous ethnic groups, such as the Owenq. Far fewer people live on the Russian side of the river. The region is home to European and Russian immigrants and indigenous groups such as the Nanai and Udege who depend on the rivers and forests for their livelihoods.
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