Russian Telecom and Neural Networks Are Saving the Amur Tiger
Since 2013, the Amur tiger population has grown from 430 to 750 animals. The species is no longer facing the threat of extinction. That progress is the result of protected areas, tougher action against poaching, and a stronger food base.
But the predator still needs protection. At the Eastern Economic Forum, Rostelecom and the Amur Tiger Center agreed to jointly develop digital projects aimed at preserving the species’ population.
Digital Reserve
Over four years, the Amur Tiger Center has collected about 600,000 images from camera traps, but only 7,881 of them contain tigers. Scientists had to inspect hundreds of thousands of frames by eye to find a handful of valuable images. The process took months. Now artificial intelligence is taking on that routine work. Neural networks can do more than detect an animal in a frame: they can identify individual tigers by their unique stripe patterns, analyze their behavior, and even help fight poaching when paired with thermal imaging equipment.
This is not Russia’s first use of IT to protect endangered wildlife, but it is one of the most systematic.
Rostelecom is proposing to connect these separate pieces into a single network: internet infrastructure, thermal imaging systems, and video analytics. The result is a comprehensive ecosystem of digital services taking shape in Russia’s Far East – from high-speed internet at wildlife rehabilitation centers, such as the one in the village of Kaimanovka in Primorsky Krai, to a “digital reserve” where AI can take over months of data processing.
In the Crosshairs – But the Cameras' Only
Russia is actively deploying digital technologies in conservation. At the Land of the Leopard National Park and the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve in Primorsky Krai, Russian scientists have trained neural networks to distinguish among wild cats. On Matveyev Island in the Barents Sea, AI is being used to count walruses; at the Central Forest Nature Reserve, to monitor bear populations; and at Sebezhsky and Sayano-Shushensky national parks, to catch poachers. The Bolshekhekhtsirsky Nature Reserve in Khabarovsk Krai has become a “smart reserve,” using AI to combat poaching and monitor wildlife across the protected area. At Gydansky National Park, meanwhile, camera traps, including innovative models, will be installed to track polar bears and reindeer in remote parts of the Arctic.
Students at Yandex’s School of Data Analysis have also developed a neural network that can track the movements of snow leopards, or irbis. The exact number of snow leopards in Russia is unknown, but it does not exceed 90 animals. The neural network could help researchers determine how to protect them from extinction. The same technology helps staff at Saylyugemsky National Park quickly “catch” snow leopards and other animals in images from all of the park’s camera traps.
Alongside these individual projects, Russia is also creating its first national photo-monitoring network, CAMMON, which will connect seven specially protected natural areas. All of them will use a common methodology and actively exchange data.
A Long-Term Investment
The Russian AI system for recognizing Amur tigers, developed by the Amur Tiger Center, Sberbank, and Far Eastern Federal University, was nominated for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) award. That recognition signals international interest in the project. But the main goal of Russia’s digital environmental initiatives is to strengthen its domestic monitoring capabilities.
“Nature reserves, national parks, and other environmental organizations receive federal funding to conserve rare species, advance scientific research, and promote environmental education. This is a long-term investment in preserving our country’s natural heritage,” said Alexander Kozlov, Russia’s minister of natural resources and environment.
Cross-border cooperation is also becoming increasingly important. Russian and Chinese tiger populations are connected by ecological corridors, and this year experts from four countries – Russia, China, Mongolia, and the Republic of Korea – have already discussed creating shared databases. In that sense, Rostelecom’s digital projects are becoming not just a Russian tool for conservation, but a Eurasian one.
