Russian photographers Konstantin Mikhailov and Yuri Shibnev have spent many years exploring what they refer to as "one of the last really enigmatic wild areas on earth" - Ussuriland. Also known as Primorsky Krai, it is situated in the extreme south of far east Russia, bordering with China in the west and the sea of Japan in the east. It is a place where Manchurian, Siberian and Korean-Chinese species live side-by-side in Russia's richest biodiversity hotspot.

Famous wildlife sites include the region of Sikhote-Alin (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and the popular birdwatching destinations at Khanka Lake and the Bikin River (known locally as the "Russian Amazon"). Ussuriland's varied landscapes include the characteristic swamps and meadows of far east Russia and only two days walk separate the mountainous boreal taiga in the north from the sub tropical broad leaved forests in the south, where the continental climate has earned Ussuriland a reputation as the "tropics of cold Russia".

Many once-widespread habitats and species find their last refuge in Ussuriland. Still relatively unspoilt, it contains the remnants of forests which once spanned China, Korea and the northern far east and serves as a sanctuary for many endangered animals including the amur leopard, Siberian spruce grouse and Siberian flying squirrel.

For more information and images, contact timaldred@naturepl.com.

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