Bikin National Park


Bikin National Park was created on November 3, 2015 to protect the largest remaining old-growth mixed forest in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as the territory of 10% of all Amur tigers in the wild. The park was also created for the purpose of protecting the forest culture of the 600 indigenous inhabitants of the Bikin River Basin living in the territory - Udeghes and Nanai people. Because of its size for pristine forest, and its characterization as a "temperate rain forest", it has an important status as a center for biodiversity of both plants and animals. The park sits in the administrative region of Pozharsky District, in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East on the west slope of the Sikhote-Alin mountains. The Bikin River Valley is also a World Heritage site.

Topography

The Bikin River flows west down the west slope of the central Sikhote-Alin, linking the Amur River basin on the west to the Primorsky region on the east. The drainage basin of the Bikin runs through isolated mountainous territory, covered in mixed conifer and deciduous forest, emptying into the Ussuri River and ultimately the Amur and the Sea of Okhotsk. With over of undeveloped territory, the unbroken forest provides a refuge for large numbers of vulnerable species.
Recent reviews by park managers record 51 species of mammals, and 194 species of birds.

Climate and ecoregion

Bikin is in the Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion. The official climate designation for the Bikin area is "Humid continental climate - Cool summer subtype", with large seasonal temperature differentials, cool summers, and cold winters.

Park Developments

Along with nature conservation and eco-tourism, the park's infrastructure is being developed in ways designed to protect the forest-based lifestyle of the Udeghe and Nanai people. An estimated 600 indigenous inhabitants of the area live a traditional lifestyle of fishing, hunting, and gathering pine nuts. In the course of zoning the park for different uses, the government has committed to allowing 68% of the land to remain available for the traditional uses of the indigenous people.
In 2018, the pre-existing "Central Sikhote-Alin" World Heritage site was extended by inclusion of 1,160,469 hectares of the Bikin National Park. After the expansion, the whole site was renamed "Bikin River Valley".