Amur Heilong

The Amur-Heilong region, covering parts of Russia, China and Mongolia, has some of the world’s most intact and extensive ‘temperate’ forests – meaning forests of a rather mild climatic area, that receives heavy rainfall. Although the region here experiences very harsh winters, it nevertheless supports an amazingly varied wildlife.

Its most famous residents include Amur (Siberian) tigers, and also the last remaining wild population of critically endangered Amur leopards – of which there may be around just 120.

Amur tigers and Amur leopards are top predators, which means they play a vital role in keeping a healthy balance of wildlife in their environment – good for the people, animals and plants that depend on it.

The Amur river (known as the Heilong in China) flows for over 4,000km, starting in Mongolia and forming the border between north-east China and south-east Russia. Around it is a vast region of grasslands and forests, about 1.85 million sq km in size.

The forests are home for lots of wildlife – not just rare animals, but trees like the Korean pine (the ‘tree of life’ and a major source of pine nuts), and wild ginseng, a traditional medicinal plant.

Many of the forest areas in the Amur-Heilong region remain largely pristine and untouched, but they're coming under growing pressure from increasing development and the need for resources.