Tigers for Tigers Helps to Bring Conservation Practitioners Together

Participants pose for a picture at Land of the Leopard

At the intersection of big predators and people, conflicts arise that disrupt communities and livelihoods. Whether we are talking about wolves in Jackson Hole, Wyoming or tigers in the Russian Far East, successful conservation programs require solutions that mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, empower local people and build community resiliency.

This past fall, with the assistance of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Tigers for Tigers became involved in a working group of conservation experts from the US and Russia, under the Eurasia Foundation’s US-Russia Social Expertise Exchange Program to share best practices and to determine practical solutions regarding critters with big teeth.

Alyona Salmanova, Deputy Dir. of Science for Land of the Leopard, talks about the park

Earlier this year, we invited our Russian colleagues from Russian Protected Areas to Montana and Wyoming to meet with staff at the Blackfoot Challenge, a collective of ranchers and government officials, and visited National Elk Refuge in Wyoming. We recently returned from our trip to the Russian Far East where we visited Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve and Land of the Leopard. As a result of the project, our working group is designing three different brochures for local communities to address human-wildlife conflicts with wolves, bears and tigers. It was truly an incredible experience! 

The biggest takeaway from both of these experiences is that perceived conflicts and fears are real problems and whether or not they actually exist, they need to be addressed. If we do not recognize the concerns of our communities, our conservation efforts may be in jeopardy even if the science is sound. Cooperative decision-making with all stakeholders and establishing effective partnerships are key to empowering people. We need to communicate with people on their terms in order to be effective.

Annastasia Kirilyuk sniffs a fresh tiger pug mark in Sikhote-Alin.

As we are learning how to mobilize and empower students through T4T, this was a great learning opportunity for us. For example, there is no “one size fits all” solution to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts with grizzly bears. There is no “one size fits all” solution to recruit students at every campus. As we grow and develop the coalition, we need to recognize different cultures, previous successes and learn from each other. Sharing best practices, whether it is between conservation practitioners or between T4T clubs, will help us grow exponentially. Refuges and protected areas provide constituents with inspiring opportunities to get outside, break down barriers and learn about their backyard. T4T wishes to do the same by providing students exposure to conservation through our activities and national events.

We hope there will be more opportunities in the near future to work with our Russian and US colleagues and to share those experiences with our members and all of you.

All the best,

Sean

t4tcoalition@gmail.com

607.280.4331

To Russia With Love

In a world that is becoming increasingly accessible, where well-traveled people claim that “everyone speaks English” and smartphone apps can instantly translate any book, it may seem as though learning a second language is a waste of time. For future conservation professionals, this myth is promoted through course requirements that leave out foreign languages and in turn focus on math and economics. While math and economics are undoubtedly important, if you want to work towards conservation in another country, I can attest that learning a second language can be as good as a ticket there.

(C) Jen Morton 2013

I recently finished a field season in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve in the Russian Far East. This reserve has been set aside strictly for tiger conservation and is only open to researchers and managers. My work was focused on analyzing prey populations for the endangered Amur tiger. I spent three months collaborating with some of the world’s most renowned tiger researchers and participating in tiger conservation efforts. I had the opportunity to photograph tigers in the wild and spend a great deal of time in one of the world’s great wild places. For me this was a dream come true, and I attribute it in large part to learning Russian while I was an undergrad.

When I began searching for a graduate school, I was required to find an advisor to take me under his/her wing and into their lab for the research component of my Master’s degree. While I wrote dozens of emails, the only promising response I received was from Dr. David Tonkyn of Clemson University.

(C) Jen Morton 2013

When David called, he wasn’t impressed by my GPA and didn’t want to hear about any extracurricular activities or leadership roles or any of the typical college acceptance things. He wanted to talk to me about Russia. He noticed a singular line on my resume that said I had double majored in my undergraduate program and that I had received a degree in Russian. I should point out here that the only reason I double majored was because I took a few Russian classes on a whim and I really liked them.

David had been interested in Russian ecosystems for a long time and had always been on the lookout for a student that he could send that way. It was a great match for both of us and before I knew it I was on a plane, another plane, another plane, and a long bus ride down a dusty road to Ternei, Russia.

We all know, of course, that learning a second language will not guarantee you a dream trip to one of the world’s great wild places. Many of the researchers that live the dream saving the great and threatened flora and fauna of the world though will tell you that a second language can be a very nice bridge between a dream and a job.

Jen Morton

Clemson University Graduate Student