Rustam Minnikhanov has held a meeting on the establishment of the Biological Diversity Preservation Center “The Snow Leopard” in the Republic of Altay

On 3 June Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov held a meeting on the establishment of the Biological Diversity Preservation Center “The Snow Leopard” in the Republic of Altay with participation of the First Deputy Prime Minister of the republic Vitaliy Malakhov, thd Altay Acting Minister of Natural Resources Aylan Sumachakov and the head of the Mayminsk region of the republic Petr Gromov.

The keynote speaker of the meeting, Tatarstan Prime Minister Aleksey Pesoshin introduced the concept of the Center developed by the leading scientists of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution by Severtsov of Russian Academy of Sciences and the  Siberian Federal Agrobiotechnology Research Center of Russian Academy of Sciences.  

Speaking at the meeting, Rustam Minnikhanov said: “It happened that the snow leopard is not just out symbol which appeared on our coat of arms. It is closely connected with the history of Altay and it is our duty to preserve the snow leopard.”

He reminded that earlier several options of the Center location were considered but after having got acquainted with the natural landscape of Altay and verbal agreement with the Head of the republic Oleg Khorokhordin, it was decided to establish the facility in Altay.  

Altay is one of the show leopard habitats and Minnikhanov said: “We went and looked at the site to be used for recovery of the population. The center must be built here and the facilities should be small as it should be a wild zone. We are moving ahead, starting with the leopard and later will consider issues of other Red Book animals such as the Marco Polo's sheep and the wild Pallas's cat. It is necessary to start with the research center and a breeding station, and a constrain”.

The center is to be located on the area of 9 846 hectares in Mayminsk region of Altay and will be the continuation of the Tatarstan Center of the snow leopard de-extinction. “It is necessary to find such a form that it is the specially designated natural area without tourists and hunters, which should be enforced by the law”, Minnikhanov concluded.