In September 2026, official data confirmed that China's wild Amur tiger population had reached 72 individuals. This figure was announced at a press conference in Beijing and became yet another testament to how targeted conservation measures are changing the fate of one of the planet's largest predators.
The Amur tiger, also known as the Ussuri or Northeast tiger, historically inhabited the taiga forests of the Russian Far East and northeastern China. By the end of the twentieth century, its numbers in the Chinese part of its range could be counted in single digits. The main threats were poaching, logging, and habitat fragmentation. The establishment and optimization of specially protected natural areas, including national parks, made it possible to turn the situation around.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China, the population growth was the result of integrating conservation zones and launching large-scale ecosystem restoration projects. Among the flagship species whose populations show positive dynamics are also Hainan gibbons — their number has grown to 44 individuals. These successes fit into the broader "Shanshui" program, aimed at comprehensive landscape restoration, and "Three-North" — the world's largest anti-desertification project.
In the ecosystem, the tiger plays the role of supreme regulator. Its presence maintains the balance of ungulates, prevents overgrazing, and promotes natural forest regeneration. When the predator returns, the forest begins to "breathe" differently: plant diversity increases, and conditions emerge for small mammals and birds. Thus, 72 of the tiger is not merely a number but an indicator of the health of an entire region.
Human involvement here is obvious and multifaceted. Conservation requires not only a ban on hunting but also the creation of migration corridors, monitoring with camera traps, work with local communities, and the reduction of human-predator conflicts. Each such step is an investment in the resilience of the entire natural system, on which, in the end, human well-being also depends.
China's experience shows that even severely depleted populations can recover if the main causes of decline are eliminated and space for life emerges. Similar stories are unfolding in other regions where priority is given to long-term planning rather than immediate gain.
Caring for large predators teaches us to see the forest not as a resource but as a living system in which every element is connected to the others.
