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Amur leopard's range is a biodiversity hotspot
Southwest Primorye is an exceptionally biodiverse region. Although similar ecosystems existed in the past in Korea and in Northeast China, much of the biodiversity has been lost in these areas due to human population pressures and lack of conservation measures.
The Amur leopard and tiger are not the only endangered species in the Amur leopard's range in SW Primorye. As many as 100 terrestrial endangered species that are included in Russia’s “Red Book” live here, and a total of 48 of these species occur nowhere else in the world. These 48 endemic endangered species include mammals, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and birds. ALTA's Amur leopard conservation program helps to conserve not only Amur leopards, but the whole terrestrial biodiversity in the Amur leopard’s range.
SW Primorye –especially its marine and freshwater wetlands– is of global importance to migrating birds, including white-tailed and Steller’s sea eagles, black vultures, many duck species (including the famous mandarin duck), geese, swans, waders and several species of cranes. Birds from northern Russia, Mongolia, China and even North America migrate to SW Primorye.
The rich biodiversity of SW Primorye is reflected in its protected area system. No other region in Russia has such a high density of protected areas. The protected areas include two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: the Kedrovaya Pad reserve (17,890 hectares), which was founded in 1916 and is Russia’s oldest reserve; and the Far Eastern Marine Reserve (63,000 hectares), which is the only marine reserve in Russia.
Endangered animal species in Southwest Primorye and Russia (excluded: sea/river species) | |||
| Class/order | Found in Russia | Found in SW Primorye | Exclusive to SW Primorye |
| Annelida (worms) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Insects | 96 | 37 | 28 |
| Amphibians | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Reptiles | 21 | 4 | 3 |
| Birds | 125 | 46 | 9 |
| Mammals | 74 | 11 | 6 |
Total | 325 (100%) | 100 (31%) | 48 (15%) |