With expert advice from CITES, TRAFFIC and CIC, participants discussed the role of trophy hunting and sustainable use in the conservation of this species.
An international action plan for their conservation is being finalized, the Argali Conservation Network notes.
6 December 2012: A workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, addressed the development of an international action plan for the conservation of argali sheep. Representatives from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan discussed the role of trophy hunting and sustainable use in the conservation of this species, which is also an important prey of the snow leopard.
The workshop, held on 2-4 December 2012, was organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), with support from the GIZ Regional Programme on Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Central Asia. Expert advice was provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), TRAFFIC and CIC, according to a press release from the Argali Conservation Network.
Participants heard of the Markhor community-based trophy hunting programme in Pakistan, which could serve as an important model for other argali range countries, and the draft hunting law in Kyrgyzstan aimed at improving the sustainable management of argali and other species.
The Argali Conservation Network notes that the international action plan is being finalized. [Argali Conservation Network Press Release]