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Environmental Agenda for Wildlife Conservation in Kyrgyzstan
Maksatbek ANARBAEVInternational University of Kyrgyzstan
Chui Avenue 255a, 720001, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
E-mail: maksatbek.anarbaev@ism.iuk.kg

Abstract
The mountain ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan possess significant value due to their unique characteristics andecological importance. These environments are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including species
that are endemic and exclusive to these specific mountainous regions. Furthermore, these territories have ahistorical association with pastoralism, which has shaped the cultural and socio-economic settings of thecountry. Aligned with the Global Environmental Agenda, biodiversity conservation measures such as theestablishment of protected areas play a crucial role in preserving habitats for rare and flagship species. These
initiatives require the active involvement and dialog of numerous stakeholders and actors within the wildlife
management of Kyrgyzstan. Collaborative efforts among them and finding an ecological balance are necessary
for long-term sustainable mountain development while ensuring the well-being of local communities andsecuring their livelihoods. Therefore, the objective of this study is comprehensively to assess and understand
Kyrgyzstan’s environmental agenda for wildlife management, recognizing its characteristics, and highlighting
the ongoing processes and challenges.
Key words: Environmental Agenda, Kyrgyzstan, mountain ecosystems, sustainable mountain development,
wildlife management

1. Introduction
The Kyrgyz Republic with a territory of almost
200,000 km2, is located in the heart of Central Asia. It waspreviously part of the Soviet Union and declared its
independence in 1991. In 2022, the population of thecountry came to 6.7 million people, with 65% of whichwere rural mainly engaged in agriculture (NatStatCom,2022). The majority of the territory is part of the
Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alai Mountains, with peaks over
7,000 m in elevation popular for tourism. Mountains
indeed possess rich natural resources, including minerals,
water resources, and significant hydro-energy potential.
They contribute freshwater runoff, which is widely used
for agricultural irrigation, household consumption andphysical and spiritual recreation, playing a crucial role in
the Central Asian region (Anarbaev, 2018; Jansky &Pachova, 2006).
The mountain ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan arecharacterized by a high level of species richness, rarity ofhabitats and endemism. They are referred to as
biodiversity hotspots. They are specifically acknowledged
as Key Biodiversity Areas due to their uniquecharacteristics and ecological significance (CEPF, 2017).
Biodiversity provides a variety of benefits for humanwell-being and plays vital functions for a healthy
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printed in Japanenvironment. At the same time, due to altitude andclimatic features, these areas create environmental
conditions and have historically been used for pastoralism,
which has shaped the cultural and socio-economic settings(Kreutzmann, 2011), as well as wildlife management
practices of the country. However, the environmental
agenda for wildlife conservation has become a contested
and sensitive issue, involving numerous stakeholders andconfronting multifaceted challenges.
The primary objective of this study is to provide acomprehensive understanding of Kyrgyzstan’s mountainecosystems, with an emphasis on their ecological, cultural,and socio-economic significance. The study aims to draw
attention to the importance of biodiversity conservation,
sustainable development, and collaborative governance inpreserving these environments while also providing
insights into the challenges they face. The researchencompasses a combination of research methods and datacollection techniques during extensive, long-term fieldsurveys.

2. Mountains and Wildlife Conservation
The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are crucial habitat foriconic and flagship species such as (Fig. 1) the globally“vulnerable” snow leopard (Panthera uncia), “near©2023 AIRIES

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of globally endangered wildlife, such as the snow leopard,in its Environmental Agenda. As part of this commitment,
the government emphasizes further development ofprotected areas network, which plays a crucial role in theconservation of mountain ecosystems. This network
serves as a key component of global initiatives aimed at
protecting mountain ecosystems, including the GSLEP,
where it is utilized as an indicator for progress andconservation efforts (Snow Leopard Working Secretariat,2013).

Fig. 1 Snow leopard in the Naryn State Nature Reserve.
(Source: Sensor camera of the Kaiberen Wildlife
Research and Conservation Program, 2016)

threatened” Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) and argali(Ovis ammon), nationally endangered brown bear (Ursus
arctos), Tien-Shan wapiti – maral (Cervus canadensis),
Turkestan lynx (Lynx lynx), and many other rare mammal
species (Izumiyama et al., 2009).
From the perspective of wildlife conservation special
attention is given to the mountain territories. The
three-dimensional
physicalfeatures,climatic
characteristics, and relief of mountains provide a diverse
range of environmental conditions (Mathieu, 2011). These
unique attributes make mountain ecosystems highly
significant from the standpoint of biodiversity
conservation and serving as crucial refuges for many
endangered wildlife species.
2.1 Environmental Agenda
Since gaining independence, in Kyrgyzstan there has
been big demand for wildlife protection and conservation
efforts, which are facilitated by the Global Environmental
Agenda. The country recognizes the importance of
safeguarding its rich biodiversity and natural heritage. In
this endeavour, Kyrgyzstan is actively involved in various
conservation programs andcollaborating withinternational organizations and initiatives to addressenvironmental challenges (Aidaraliev, 2020).
International environmental organizations claim thatthe population of wild predators is declining at a
disturbing rate. This is occurring due to loss of habitat andprey, conflict with humans, poaching and illegal trade.
Therefore, on 23 October 2013 the representatives ofinternational donor organizations and political leaders in
the governments of all 12 snow leopard range countries
came together in Kyrgyzstan and adopted the Bishkek
Declaration on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard.
This date is recognized globally and is celebrated
annually as International Snow Leopard Day. The
Governments of 12 “habitat range countries”, with thesupport of international agencies and NGOs, launched the
Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program,
known as GSLEP.
The Kyrgyz Government has included the protection

2.2 Development of Protected Areas
The Kyrgyz Government has declared that wildlife
conservation is a priority under state policy, and it isincluded within its National Development Strategy 2025
and promoted as a sector for attracting funds from donororganizations. In this regard, a special role has been
assigned to the protected areas. In 1985, these protectedareas occupied 0.533 million hectares in total and by 2018,
they occupied 1.5 million hectares or 7.7% of thecountry’s territory (Fig. 2). They exceed in size the 1.2
million hectares of arable land available in the republic(Anarbaev, 2022).
Accordingly, since independence, the territory ofnature parks and reserves has increased threefold.
However, regular reports of conflicts between protectedareas and pastoralists have increased sharply in recent
years. As a rule, the reason of conflicts between those
designating new protected areas and the local people
occur regarding access to pastures for livestock grazing.
Nowadays, there are numerous stakeholders or actors
involved in the environmental sphere of governance in
Kyrgyzstan. The establishment of most protected areas in
Kyrgyzstan is sponsored by international donororganizations. The establishment of these new protectedareas, it is believed can contribute to the mitigation ofhuman-wildlife conflicts. However, according to a fieldsurvey (Anarbaev, 2022), local residents hold the belief
that the establishment of new protected areas may noteffectively reduce livestock losses caused by wild
predators. In fact, they argue that it may even lead to
additional conflicts surrounding pasture access. An
example of such a case occurred in Talas Oblast, where
the Kara-Buura State Nature Reserve, which was initiallyestablished in 2005, was downgraded to a nature park in2012 to allow local pastoralists to utilize the pastures.
Similarly, another conflict occurred in Zhalal-Abad Oblast
with the establishment of the Dashman State Nature
Reserve in 2012. The neighboring Kyzyl-Üngkür local
municipality, representing the residents, opposed thisinitiative. Eventually, both sides reached a compromise,and in 2013, the reserve began its operations with asmaller territory than what was initially declared.
Taking into consideration the aforementioned issues
regarding the establishment of new Protected Areas, suchas the creation of the new Alai State Nature Park in theEnvironmental agenda for wildlife conservation in Kyrgyzstan

93

Fig. 2 Development of state nature parks and reserves in Kyrgyzstan. (Source: Anarbaev, 2022)

southern part of Kyrgyzstan, certain challenges emerge.
While livestock grazing is permitted in its buffer zones asa nature park, the pastoralists are not allowed to shootwolves, for example, within the boundaries of theprotected areas. This situation creates a potential conflict
where livestock may be vulnerable to predation without
any means to control or mitigate the threat posed by wild
predator species within the protected areas. Therefore, theimplementation of the environmental agenda for wildlife
conservation necessitates a critical focus on wildlife
management, particularly in addressing humanwildlife-related conflicts and finding effective solutions.

3. Wildlife Management
Alongside the establishment of protected areas, theRed Book has been used as a key legal tool for wildlife
protection, decision making and prioritising theenvironmental agenda. Adoption of the first hunting
legislation in 1930 provided for the protection of rare wild
animals and birds in Kyrgyzstan. Since 1963 the list ofprotected animals has expanded to include the snow
leopard, manul (Otocolobus manul) and brown bear. The
general aim of this regulation was to enhance theprotection of wildlife. Since the establishment of the Red
Book, the list of endangered species has increased byseveral times.
Nevertheless, some wildlife species listed in the Red
Book of the Kyrgyz Republic, such argali are allowed tobe hunted with a special limitation on the amount that canbe taken, raising serious concerns among the wildlife
protection community. The annual limit is no more than
one percent of the total number of their population
throughout the republic. Nevertheless, local NGOs havemade several efforts to adopt new legislation to stop
trophy hunting in Kyrgyzstan.
3.1 Trophy Hunting
Nowadays the Kyrgyz Government permits andallocates a certain number of hunting licenses for various
wildlife species promoting this as a conservation tool.
Generally hunting activities are regulated under the Law
on Animal World (1999) and the Law on Hunting andHunting Economy (2014).
The decrease in population was established as being
due to habitat degradation, poaching, killing in response
to livestock depredation and natural prey depletion.
Nowadays, the hunting, possession and trade of snow
leopards are prohibited under the Law of the Kyrgyz
Republic on Animal World (1999) and they are listed
nationally as “critically endangered” in the second editionof the Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic (2006).
In 2013, prior to the Bishkek Global Snow Leopard
Conservation Forum, the Kyrgyz Government alongside
its wildlife use fees, substantially increasing the fine rates
as well. It was argued that this measure can decreasepoaching and illegal trade activities. Later in 2017, thefine for illegal catching or hunting of snow leopards wasincreased from 199,640 KGS (US$ 2,295) to 1,500,000
KGS (US$ 17,245).
The IUCN Species Survival Commission, a global
network of conservation scientists, recognizes thatwell-managed trophy hunting can provide both revenue
and incentives for local people to conserve wildlife
populations and their habitats, maintain areas of land forconservation, and protect wildlife from poaching (IUCN,
2012). The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem
Protection Program also promotes trophy hunting as a

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M. ANARBAEV

conservation tool for enhancing snow leopard prey
populations through community participation and to
mitigating human-wildlife conflicts (Snow Leopard
Working Secretariat, 2013). In Kyrgyzstan, however,trophy hunting has become a contested and sensitive issue
that involves many interested parties. A negative image
has also been reinforced by messages about harmful
impacts from the selective hunting reported in theinternational literature (Nordbø et al., 2017).
3.2 Human-Wildlife Conflicts
In recent decades, many pastoralists have often
complained about an increase in livestock depredation by
wild predators, especially wolves (Canis lupus), despite
the existence of state-sponsored predator control activities.
On the other hand, there are public concerns about
wildlife conservation. With the engagement of numerous
environmental NGOs and mass media, wildlife
management issues have quickly become highly
politicized in Kyrgyzstan. The country’s participation inseveral global environmental conventions has heightenedawareness of many projects funded by external donororganizations and the implementation of obligations forwildlife conservation. Consequently, wildlife management
in Kyrgyzstan has gained significant international
attention.
Livestock predation, where wild animals like snow
leopards or wolves prey on domestic livestock, posessignificant economic challenges to pastoralists who
depend on livestock for their livelihoods. The loss of
livestock can result in financial burdens and strain therelationship between communities and wildlife.
Moreover, since the independence of Kyrgyzstan, theexpanse of protected areas has increased threefold.
Protected areas are crucial for wildlife conservation andare promoted by the nature conservation community as abeneficial measure for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.
However, despite this, livestock depredation by wild
predators continues to generate conflicts and has becomea serious conservation issue.
In recent years the increase in livestock depredation
by wolves has become a primary socio-economic issue in
the Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain regions of
Kyrgyzstan. The local pastoralists claim that livestock
losses due to wild predators were lower in Soviet era than
nowadays. In the Soviet times, the issue of “wild predator”
was centrally governed, and under the collective farmsystem, guns and ammunition were supplied to herders.
However, environmentalists consider the problem to belinked with overhunting and poaching of wild ungulates
such as argali and ibex. Consequently, the number ofnatural prey animals of the wolf and snow leopard has
decreased.

4. Current Challenges
Wildlife protection, human-wildlife conflicts andconflicts between protected areas and local people havegained the attention of many international actors, whoaccordingly, influence the national environmental agendaof Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, Approved by Government Decree,
Kyrgyzstan’s biodiversity conservation priorities for 2014
– 2024 approved by government have been formulated
according to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Tosummarize them, there is a positive trend regarding
expansion of the network of protected areas which today
covers over 7% of the country’s territory and under the
strategic targets, Kyrgyzstan intends to increase coveragefurther to 10% by 2025. Taking into account this, theconflicts with the local populations seems to be very
challenging.
At the global scale as well, many scholars argue that
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework (2022) to protect 30% of the planet forconservation by 2030 will be missed by an even greater
margin. The outlook was worst for West and South Asia,
projected to achieve 11% and 10% coverage respectively
by 2030 (Farhadinia et al., 2022). Sustainable mountain
development and resource use are only possible when themountain communities themselves are involved, andnational and global environmental agendas should
prioritize the primary needs and interests of the local
people.

5. Discussions
Conflicts between protected areas and pastoralists
often arise due to restrictions on grazing and resource
access within the protected areas. Pastoralists depend onthese areas for their livestock’s grazing needs andtraditional land use practices.
Addressing these human-wildlife conflicts requires acomprehensive and balanced approach that takes into
account the needs and concerns of both wildlife
conservation and local communities. This includes
implementing measures such as improved livestock
management practices, community-based conservation
initiatives, alternative livelihood options, and the active
involvement of local communities in decision-making
processes.
By finding sustainable solutions and promoting
dialogue among stakeholders, it would also be possible tomitigate human-wildlife conflicts and ensure thecoexistence of wildlife conservation efforts and thelivelihoods of pastoral communities. This approach is
crucial for maintaining the delicate balance between
wildlife protection and the well-being of local
communities in Kyrgyzstan. The mountain regions of
Kyrgyzstan attract many interested parties who are
involved in pastoralism, natural resources extraction,
development projects, hunting and nature conservation.
For instance, since Kyrgyzstan gained its
independence in 1991, many international nature

Environmental agenda for wildlife conservation in Kyrgyzstan

conservation organizations have opened permanent
offices and implemented various projects in the country.
Their efforts have been focused on saving threatened
species assemblages, managing wildlife sustainably,
enhancing the protected areas network, creating
educational programs and engaging in many otheractivities in connection with biodiversity conservation.
The difficult socioeconomic situation that
Kyrgyzstan faced after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
had a direct impact on its wildlife. The high level ofpoaching of wild ungulates resulted in a decrease of their
population. Decrease in the wild prey populations are
considered one of the key issues for predator conservation.
It is believed that ensuring a sufficient natural food basewould minimize their depredation on livestock. Therefore,
many efforts are aimed at increasing the population of
prey species especially wild ungulates such as ibex andargali.
Kyrgyzstan’s Environmental Agenda for Wildlife
Conservation aims to address crucial issues concerning
the protection and preservation of the country’s diverse
wildlife. By implementing sustainable strategies andfostering collaboration among stakeholders, we strive tosafeguard the natural habitats and biodiversity of
Kyrgyzstan for present and future generations. Livestock
depredation by wolves has a seasonal character andintensifies in winter. Accordingly, more attention isrequired for livestock protection activities during
wintertime. Protective measures are effective at reducing
livestock depredation by wild predators and achieving
coexistence. The use of modern techniques such electricfences would minimize the loss of livestock. However forthe pastoralists in Kyrgyzstan this would require a large
amount of money.
Institutional and legislative arrangements regulating
wildlife management are slowly improving. The adopted
laws on Preservation of the Environment and on Huntingand Hunting Economy facilitate the engagement of thelocal communities in conservation activities, especially in
relation to poaching of wild ungulates.
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the
Rufford Foundation for supporting the field surveys, andalso thank the local residents, officers of the Naryn State
Nature Reserve and an anonymous reviewer for theircomments.
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Maksatbek ANARBAEV
Maksatbek Anarbaev holds a Doctorate in Natural
Sciences from the Free University of Berlin andthe title of professor at the International Universityof Kyrgystan. For many years, he worked at
the National Center for Mountain Regions
Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, where hehas made significant contributions to the development of the Strategy andAction Plan for Sustainable Land Management in the High Pamirs andPamir-Altai. Currently, he is involved in research projects focusing on thesustainable use of natural resources, local livelihoods, pastoralism andwildlife conservation issues. Additionally, he serves as a national expert on
the Sustainable Mountain Development Program within the Global
Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF-EAS) project of the
GEF, UNEP and UNDP in Kyrgystan.

(Received 2 May 2023, Accepted 11 October 2023)