A Transboundary Network of Protected Areas for the Conservation of the Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)

ABSTRACT: The last Far Eastern leopards survived at the junction of the Southwest of Primorsky Krai in Russia and the Laoyeling-Dalongling in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces in China. By the year 2000, there were only 30–35 individuals living in an area of approximately 3000 km². Thanks to conservation efforts, this endangered subspecies has moved away from the edge of extinction, with more than 150 individuals living in an area over 14,000 km² in 2022. Reliable protection of key habitats has played a crucial role in this success. Over the past 25 years, the transboundary network of protected areas dedicated to the conservation of the Far Eastern leopard has increased 12 times, from 1532 km² to 18,961 km², covering 12,636 km², or 90 percent of its current range. The latest step was the proclamation in 2024 of the Sino-Russian transboundary protected area “Land of Big Cats”. This includes the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, the Land of the Leopard National Park with a buffer zone in Russia (3694 km²), and the Northeast Tiger Leopard National Park in China (14,612 km²). According to our estimates, this will ensure the long-term preservation of 17,239 km² of suitable habitats, which will allow for the maintenance of a potential population of at least 300 Far Eastern leopards.