R 061109Z AUG 08
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0991
INFO MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK

UNCLAS VLADIVOSTOK 000083 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TBIO PGOV RS
SUBJECT: HIGHWAY THREATENS ENDANGERED LEOPARD HABITAT 
 
REF: A. 07 VLADIVOSTOK 045 
     ¶B. 07 VLADIVOSTOK 064 
     ¶C. 07 VLADIVOSTOK 124 
 
 
¶1.  Last weekend, CG paid a visit to the World Wildlife Fund's 
"Leopard House," a visitors' center dedicated to educating 
residents and tourists about the plight of the Amur leopard, the 
world's rarest big cat and one of the most endangered animals 
overall (reftels).  The center, located in the hamlet of 
Barabash, in the extreme southwestern corner of Russia's 
Primorye region, is headed by the environmentalist Tatyana 
Belikova.  She said that although only some thirty leopards 
remain in the wild, she remains optimistic about their survival. 
 
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A Highway Runs Through It 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The single biggest challenge they now face is the 
construction of a new six-lane highway right through the middle 
of the leopards' last remaining habitat.  Belikova, WWF, and 
other environmental organizations have been lobbying for the 
creation of a series of tunnels and bridges that will allow 
leopards and other wildlife to cross the highway without risking 
being run over.  If the leopards are not able to safely cross 
the highway, she said, they risk being confined to a territory 
too small to support even their current tiny population.  Any 
decrease in the number of leopards will almost certainly result 
in a fatal reduction of their genetic diversity, which is 
already showing serious signs of strain brought about by 
inbreeding. 
 
¶3.  Although the company building the highway has promised to 
construct at least one tunnel for wildlife, Belikova, citing the 
Russian proverb, "Promises don't mean there will be a wedding," 
remains skeptical that the government has the political will to 
make allowances and financial sacrifices on the leopards' 
behalf.  Even if the one tunnel is built, she said, it remains 
seriously inadequate to effectively link the two halves the 
leopards' territory.  She said that in "civilized countries" 
they are making tunnels for frogs.  "If they do that for frogs, 
why not for the last few leopards?" she asked.  "The 
Administration should show the world that this is a civilized 
place too." 
 
¶4.  Leopards, which weigh some 80 kilograms, also face a threat 
from the region's much larger feline predator, the Amur tiger, 
which can weigh up to 300 kilograms.  Recent news accounts have 
detailed several attacks made by tigers on leopards.  Belikova 
said, however, that the leopards can deal with this natural 
threat if they have a healthy habitat.  Indeed, WWF officials 
told us that increasing tiger attacks on leopards are due in 
part to human pressures on tiger habitat further north, which is 
pushing the animals southward into the leopards' range. 
Belikova notes that leopards do not attack humans unless they 
feel cornered. 
 
----------------------------- 
Educating the Next Generation 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Belikova says that although she is "hoping for a miracle, we 
may have to help God and make the miracle ourselves."  In 
addition to worrying about near-term problems such as the 
highway, Belikova spends much of her time working on the 
long-term environmental health of the region by concentrating on 
outreach and educational programs for children.  The Leopard 
House staff say that educating children is an effective way to 
reach not just the children, but their friends and families.  A 
WWF staff member told us that parents may find it difficult to 
ignore a child who asks why the leopards are perishing.  One 
student was proud to have shown one of WWF's educational videos 
on the leopards to 120 other people.  The WWF has taken efforts 
to translate many of their films to make them accessible to 
non-Russians; others have no text and require no translation. 
In addition to the videos, Belikova introduces educational 
themes through art projects and nature hikes.  WWF also helps 
put on Tiger and Leopard Days in some RFE cities to raise 
awareness and create a constituency for environmental issues. 
 
¶6.  The scarcity of the Amur leopard is indicated by the fact 
that Belikova, an environmentalist and lifelong resident of the 
Barabash area, has herself never seen one in the wild. 
Nevertheless, she can recall the details of many sightings by 
other residents.  Most of the leopard footage in the WWF films 
is in fact captured by hidden cameras in areas where the animals 
are known to frequent.  (The filmmakers told us they are careful 
not to reveal these locations to others.)  Belikova jokes that 
one leopard has become a "movie star" because he has appeared in 
all of the WWF videos.  One of the most touching scenes in the 
films occurs when a leopard cub discovers a hidden camera, and 
spends time close up investigating and pawing it. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Cross-Border Collaboration Essential for Survival 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶7.  The survival of the leopards faces serious challenges: from 
the highway, from poaching, from the destruction of habitat due 
to logging, from inbreeding, and from human encroachment. 
Nevertheless, there have been some encouraging signs.  One of 
these has been the greater contact between Russian and Chinese 
environmental groups in the past few years.  A number of Russian 
environmentalists have visited China recently, where they say 
real strides are being made in preserving habitat.  According to 
Dale Miquelle, who heads the Primorye office of the Wildlife 
Conservation Society, the thin band of forest on the Chinese 
side of the border used to be a "dead zone," with no signs of 
life in evidence -- not even a single bird chirp.  With stiffer 
penalties on poaching and more consistent patrolling, however, 
there are signs that wildlife is reestablishing itself in the 
area.  Miquelle notes, however, that the forested zone along the 
border is very narrow and not in and of itself capable of 
sustaining a leopard population.  For this reason, cooperation 
between Russian and Chinese officials is essential to provide 
the leopard with enough range to improve its chances for 
survival.  A group of Chinese nature reserve specialists are 
coming to Primorye to discuss conservation issues this summer. 
 
 
ARMBRUSTER