Protecting the Snow Leopard in Central Asia

The Vanishing Treasures programme focuses on the Central Asian countries of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, to better understand the direct impacts of climate change on snow leopards and their prey species, as well as current and possible future vulnerabilities and responses of local communities to climate change.

Kyrgyz Republic

Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous, landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Kazakhstan to the north, China to the east, Tajikistan to the southwest and Uzbekistan to the west and southwest. Bishkek, its capital and largest city, is situated in the north of the country.

Protected Areas

The 35 protected areas of Kyrgyzstan cover 13,403 km² and account for 6,7% of the country's total surface. Protected areas – national parks, wilderness areas, community conserved areas and nature reserves – are essential for biodiversity conservation, while also contributing to people’s livelihoods, particularly at the local level.

Vanishing Treasures programme area

The Vanishing Treasures programme area is located in the north of Kyrgyzstan, close to the capital Bishkek, and includes a mix of protected areas, hunting concessions, co-managed reserves and community-owned lands in the Kyrgyz AlaToo Range, which is part of the Inner Tien Shan Mountain range.

The programme area spans over 15,000 km², and includes about 200 villages. The area is known to be home to snow leopards, lynx, red fox, ibex, marmots and several other species.

Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia with more than 90% of its surface covered by mountains. It is bordered by Kyrgyzstan to the north, China to the east, Afghanistan to the south and Uzbekistan to the west. Dushanbe, its capital, is located in the west of the country.

Protected Areas

The 26 protected areas of Tajikistan cover 31,690 km² and account for 22.28% of the country's total area. Protected areas – national parks, wilderness areas, community conserved areas and nature reserves – are essential for biodiversity conservation, while also contributing to people’s livelihoods, particularly at the local level.

Vanishing Treasures programme area

The Vanishing Treasures programme area is located in the east, within the Eastern Pamirs. This landscape consists of mountain ranges with gentle slopes and intermontane plateaus and valleys. In certain areas, the relief is more rugged with deeper valleys.

Snow leopards, ibex, argali sheep, brown bears, lynx and Pallas cat are some of the mammals inhabiting these landscapes.

Disclaimer:

The designations employed and the presentation of material on any maps on this page do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The spatial data used for the production of the map is derived from external sources. Consequently, Good Cause Promotions is not liable for positioning inaccuracies, subsequent updates, errors or omissions of data.

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Data Collection

In the Vanishing Treasures programme areas we use a combination of field surveys and remote sensing to study the current distribution and population of snow leopards, their prey species as well as habitat productivity and human land use patterns.

In addition, we assess the vulnerability of communities to climate change as well as the rate of negative interactions between humans and wildlife.

Field survey in Kyrgyzstan. © Zairbek Kubanychbekov

Analysis

We combine the collected information with climate models to identify potential vulnerabilities under future climate scenarios as well as climate-driven shifts in habitat quality and productivity. Some of the early results will include habitat suitability maps for the snow leopard and its prey species under different climate scenarios.

Policy Integration

We use the knowledge acquired through the programme to equip government officials and local partners with tools and methods to integrate climate-smart wildlife conservation into landscape planning and management.

National consultation meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.

Implementation of Pilot Solutions

Based on our new knowledge, we will also implement pilot solutions on the ground working hand in hand with local communities, wildlife conservancies and protected area authorities to

reduce human-wildlife conflict
sustainably manage habitat resources,
promote livelihood options that incentivize nature conservation and build climate resilience.

To find out more about our implementing partners on the ground: