After 30 years, the Siberian tiger returns to Changbai Mountain

Recently, wild Siberian tigers have been spotted frequently in Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Jilin Province, marking the return of this rare species to the hinterland of Changbai Mountain after a lapse of 30 years. It also marks the further expansion of the habitat of wild Siberian tigers, which has expanded more than 200 kilometers westward from the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park. The recovery of flagship species in natural ecosystems is an important step in my country's ecological civilization construction.

The Siberian tiger, as one of the largest cats in the world, is an important part of biodiversity. It plays an irreplaceable and important role in maintaining the ecological balance of forest areas and is an indicator species of ecosystem health. The Siberian tiger is at the top of the food chain. For an adult Siberian tiger to live stably in an area, there must be 500 ungulates of the same size as sika deer and wild boars to ensure its survival. The existence of the Siberian tiger means that the number of animals at each trophic level in the entire ecosystem is sufficient. Therefore, protecting the Siberian tiger means not only protecting the species itself, but also comprehensively protecting the entire ecosystem on which it depends.

Siberian tigers are distributed in northeastern Asia. Changbai Mountain, located in northeastern China, is an important ecological barrier in Northeast Asia. It is a world-renowned "species gene bank" and "natural museum". It has been listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and was recently selected as a World Geopark. Changbai Mountain has well-preserved virgin forests, providing the Siberian tiger with sufficient food sources and hidden habitats, creating favorable conditions for its reproduction and survival.

However, wild Siberian tigers were once threatened by habitat destruction and illegal hunting, and their numbers have dropped sharply. In recent years, Jilin Province has continued to increase its ecological protection efforts, creating hybrid forests suitable for Siberian tigers through measures such as returning farmland to forests and reforestation, and building unimpeded cross-border ecological corridors to provide habitats for tigers and leopards.

At the same time, the implementation of powerful measures such as closing mountains and banning hunting and establishing the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park has also built a solid protection barrier for wild Northeast tigers. With the in-depth advancement of ecological restoration and wildlife protection, the ecological environment of Changbai Mountain forests has been improving, and the population of wild animals such as sika deer and roe deer has increased year by year.

In addition, scientific and technological forces have also injected new vitality into ecological protection. After discovering the Siberian tiger, the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve took quick action, deployed monitoring cameras, and used advanced technology to monitor and track the Siberian tiger in real time, providing strong support for protection work.

The return of Siberian tigers to the hinterland of Changbai Mountain is an important microcosm of the construction of ecological civilization in Beautiful China. It not only demonstrates my country's determination and achievements in wildlife protection and ecological restoration, but also inspires the enthusiasm and confidence of the whole society to participate in ecological protection. Looking to the future, we will continue to improve protection policies, increase financial investment, strengthen scientific and technological support, and enhance public awareness, and jointly write a new chapter in the ecological civilization of Beautiful China. We look forward to more Siberian tigers freely roaming in the dense forests of Changbai Mountain in the near future, adding more vitality and vigor to Beautiful China.

Review: Xinhuanet Science Department