Wildlife Conservation - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopard Population Reaches Near-Historic Levels

The snow leopard population in Kazakhstan has rebounded to near-historic levels, with an estimated 152 to 189 individuals now residing in the country. This marks a significant achievement in conservation efforts, as such numbers were last observed in the 1980s. Despite this progress, human activity remains the most significant threat to the survival of this elusive predator. Known as the irbis, the snow leopard is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List and the national Red Books of all 12 countries within its range. In Kazakhstan, these majestic predators reside in mountainous areas such as the Altai, Tien Shan, Zhetysu Alatau, and other large mountain systems. Since 2018, Kazakhstan has implemented a snow leopard conservation project under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). As a result, the snow leopard population has increased by more than 26% since 2019. Alexei Grachev, executive director of the Snow Leopard Foundation and head of the Snow Leopard Monitoring Center, noted that the species' numbers have stabilized, with protected areas playing a crucial role in their survival. Key habitats include Ile-Alatau National Park, Altyn-Emel, and the Katon-Karagai Reserve. The Zhetysu region, in particular, boasts the highest population density thanks to favorable conditions such as abundant prey, effective protection, and minimal human interference. In contrast, the snow leopard population in Katon-Karagai Park remains small. Their presence was first confirmed by photo traps in 2020. A recent sighting of a female with two cubs in the park indicates a gradual recovery. Despite the positive trends, snow leopards face several threats including poaching, expanding economic activities, climate change, and conflicts with local communities. To mitigate these risks, efforts are being made to establish new protected areas, such as the Merken Regional Park in Zhambyl Oblast. Satellite telemetry has also been introduced, with 11 leopards collared in 2021 to track their movements and better understand their behavior. The high mortality rate among young leopards is a pressing issue. Without the expansion of protected areas, juvenile leopards are forced to migrate to neighboring countries, increasing the likelihood of human-wildlife conflicts. To address this, Kazakhstan is offering financial compensation to herders whose livestock is attacked, thereby reducing the retaliatory killing of the predators. Kazakhstan’s conservation measures have been widely praised by the international community. Unlike many countries where snow leopard populations are declining or stagnating, Kazakhstan has achieved tangible growth. Collaborative efforts with Kyrgyzstan, bolstered by international memorandums, have further enhanced regional conservation efforts. Additionally, UNDP initiatives have improved protection in 14 natural areas across the country through the use of advanced technologies, including camera traps, drones, and thermal imaging devices. The recovery of the snow leopard population in Kazakhstan is a rare and noteworthy example of successful conservation. By safeguarding this iconic species, the country is contributing significantly to global biodiversity, demonstrating the impact of focused and sustained environmental efforts.

Wildlife Conservation UK Altyn Dala

Kazakhstan Grasslands Project Wins Environmental Prize Backed by Prince William

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a group dedicated to restoring and protecting Kazakhstan’s grasslands and wildlife, is one of several winners of a prize launched by Britain’s Prince William in 2020 to highlight solutions to the world’s environmental challenges. The group is among five 2024 Earthshot Prize winners that will receive 1 million British pounds each to continue and expand their work. The British royal praised the winners at an awards ceremony on Wednesday in Cape Town, South Africa. The Altyn Dala group won the prize in the category for protecting and restoring nature. It has played a leading role in the recovery of the saiga antelope in recent years, marking a major conservation success in Central Asia that followed a devastating disease outbreak and fears that the species would become extinct. The prize is “the result of years of patient, collaborative and effective partnership between government & NGOs, saving a unique species and ecosystem,” Kathy Leach, Britain’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, said on X. This year, the Altyn Dala group was also involved in the transfer of several wild horses from European sanctuaries to the “Golden Steppe,” as the vast grasslands in Kazakhstan are known. The Przewalski’s horses is an endangered species that had been absent from the region for generations. Founded in 2005, Altyn Dala is a joint project involving Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology & Natural Resources, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, Fauna & Flora, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “Beyond Kazakhstan, due to the multiple problems facing temperate grasslands globally, Altyn Dala is collaborating with other major grassland initiatives in the Mongolian steppe, the American prairie, and Patagonian pampas regions,” Altyn Dala said in a statement. It said the prize would ensure that its own knowledge and experience would “benefit nature restoration across the globe.”

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Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to Cooperate on Snow Leopard Conservation

As reported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, a memorandum of understanding on snow leopard conservation was signed on October 17 between Kazakhstan's and Kyrgyzstan's protected nature reserves. Initiated by UNDP in Kazakhstan with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the five-year agreement aims to conserve the snow leopard and its habitats in the northern Tien Shan Mountains within four of the countries' Specially Protected Nature Areas: the Kolsay Kolderi State National Park, the Almaty State Nature Reserve, the Ile-Alatau State National Park in Kazakhstan, and the Chon Kemin State Nature Park in Kyrgyzstan. The two countries will coordinate joint measures and share experiences in researching and strengthening snow leopard protection. Over the next five years, the parties will also develop and implement several initiatives to monitor the snow leopard, its habitats and food supply, promote transboundary and international cooperation, and increase public awareness and participation through snow leopard conservation programs. Nurken Sharbiyev, Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, citing the fact that the country's snow leopard population has increased by over 20% since 2019, to between 152 and 189 animals, stated, “This memorandum will strengthen the links between our countries to conserve this globally important species." Mirslav Amankulov, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan, said that Kyrgyzstan currently has over 400 snow leopards but noted: “As it is a migratory species, its habitat is not limited to the territory of the country. To study and preserve the snow leopard and its habitat, prevent the impact of serious threats such as illegal hunting and reduction of food supply and habitats due to human activities, interaction between stakeholders is needed, which will be facilitated by the implementation of measures under the signed memorandum between Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic." The snow leopard is recognized as a rare or endangered species in 12 countries and its population is indicative of the stability and health of the mountain ecosystem, which occupies a third of the globe. At the first International Forum on Snow Leopard Conservation in Bishkek in 2013, with the support of representatives of 12 snow leopard range countries and the international community, the Bishkek Declaration on the Protection of the Snow Leopard was unanimously adopted, and the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program was approved. Later, in December 2023, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov signed a Decree “On recognizing the snow leopard as a national symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic.”

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Thousands of Red-listed Birds Released in Uzbekistan

In Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan, 2,680 Wigglers (Chlamydotis macqueenii), have been released in the wild. The rare birds, on the verge of extinction and listed in the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were released on October 11 on the Ustyurt Plain in the Kungrad District. Authorities are now planning the annual release of 2,000 and 3,000 birds to support the population and promote the recovery of one of the rarest bird species in Central Asia. The Wiggler, a member of the bustard family, is so-called on account of the way it darts from side to side. Males grow to a length of 65-75 cm and weigh between 1.8 and 3.2 kg, while females are slightly smaller at 55-65 cm and 1.2-1.7 kg, respectively. Their upper plumage is sand-coloured, and white below, with a distinctive gray crest and elongated white feathers with black tips on the sides. During the mating season, the bird shows off its decorative feathers by raising its collar and making an “hrrrr” sound.

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Kazakhstan Reinstates Kulans in Wild Natural Habitats

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has announced the successful reintroduction of kulans — Asiatic wild asses — to the country’s Ile-Balkhash and Altyn Dala nature reserves. As a result of overhunting and competition for grazing with other livestock, wild kulans became extinct in Kazakhstan in the 1930s. To restore the species' population, long-term projects were implemented. Between 1953 and 1961, 14 kulans were transported from Turkmenistan to Barsakelmes Island in Kazakhstan and in 1982, when their number reached 200, the animals were transferred to the mainland Altyn-Emel National Park. Today, the country boasts two large herds of kulans in the Barsakelmes Reserve and the Altyn-Emel National Park, with that in the latter, numbering 3,965, representing the largest in Kazakhstan. The steady growth of the kulan population has also made it possible to resettle the animals in other historical habitats. On September 28-30, 43 kulans were transported from the Altyn-Emel National Park to the Ile-Balkhash Reserve in southern Kazakhstan and a further 24 kulans were released into temporary enclosures on the Altyn Dala Reserve in the central Kostanay region. In a move to reintegrate other indigenous species in the region, Kazakhstan has also reintroduced Przewalski's horses and Turan tigers to their historical habitats this year.

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Tigers Return to Kazakhstan: A New Home for Bogdana and Kuma

A pair of Amur tigers from the Netherlands has been brought to Kazakhstan; tigers are not the only animals that Kazakhstan is getting back. A few days ago, a long-awaited pair of tigers, bred in a special reserve in the Netherlands, arrived in Kazakhstan. Online, some worried that the tigers would not survive in the harsh climate, or would attack livestock and people. According to WWF Netherlands wildlife expert, Geert Poleta, these fears are unfounded. For several years now, the international NGO, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), together with the Government of Kazakhstan, has been implementing a program to return tigers to Pribalkhashye. The Amur tiger is a relative of the extinct Turanian breed. Historically, the habitat of the Turanian tiger in the country was reed thickets and floodplain forests along the banks of the Ili and Syr Darya rivers. The extermination of the animal began during the time of the Russian Empire, and the last Kazakh tiger was killed in 1948. Decades later, wild cats are returning to Kazakhstan. As experts point out, this event is an essential step in restoring the ecosystem and lost biodiversity. Bogdana and Kuma, the names of the Amur tigers, flew for more than a day from the Dutch Holy Lion specialized center for predators at the Landgoed Hoenderdaell Zoo to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve. Permanent caretakers accompanied them. At the Dutch zoo, “the animals were kept in separate spacious enclosures with minimal contact with visitors," Gert Polet, a wildlife expert at WWF Netherlands explained. "Thanks to the spacious territory of the center, the tigers had their own area to live in the most natural conditions possible. In the summer of 2024, a Memorandum was signed between the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Dutch center, which provides for the free transfer of two tigers to Kazakhstan for further breeding and the release of their offspring.” There is no need to fear that the big cats will harm residents in their new and unfamiliar conditions, as they will be kept under strict supervision. “Zoo tigers cannot be returned to the wild. The arriving tigers will never leave the territory of their enclosure. They were brought in for breeding and raising offspring. If the tiger's birth project is successful, the adults will be moved to another enclosure, located at a center of the reserve which will be open to visitors,” Polet stated. He believes that Bogdana and Kuma have a 60% chance of having cubs. Tiger cubs born in the enclosure of the Ile-Balkhash reserve will be reared following international standards and protocols. At one and a half to two years old, they will be prepared for release into the wild. In addition, the new residents of the reserve will be monitored constantly by video and cared for by a dedicated member of staff. “Over the past year, a veterinarian from the Zholbarys Association has been trained in various clinics and zoos in Russia. She also visited the...