Central Asia

Frozen peaks, burning deserts, vast open grasslands, cool mountain forests – Central Asia is a land of extremes. The extremes in habitat have resulted in a wealth of biodiversity, both in terms of wildlife and wild plants (Central Asia is the origin of many of our cultivated fruits and vegetables, and these wild varieties are critical for maintaining genetic diversity in our cultivars). Central Asia is also a true meeting place – you can find wildlife from North Africa (striped hyena, caracal), Southeast Asia (golden jackal), Northern Eurasia (brown bear, red deer), and the greater Himalayan chain (snow leopard, ibex) alongside wildlife unique to the region (saiga antelope, Marco Polo sheep). It is also a critical migratory corridor for a range of avian species, including breeding birds from the Arctic tundra, taiga forest and temperate grassland.

The Human Aspect
Central Asia’s biological diversity is nearly equaled by its cultural diversity. The region has seen the rise and fall of empires for millennia. And has also been a major corridor for trade for centuries, such as the Marco Polo and Silk Routes that crisscrossed the land from Europe to China. Low human population levels have meant that Central Asia has undergone comparatively less environmental destruction than most other parts of Asia; yet recent political and economic shifts have had widespread environmental effects.

Threats
The drive for economic development during Soviet times has left a legacy of degraded lands from inappropriate agricultural practices to pollution from oil production, mining and weapons production. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the struggle to create new government structures and a faltering economy has led to poor environmental enforcement. In many areas fragile lands are overgrazed and some species of wildlife have been decimated by unsustainable harvesting for local consumption and trade to other countries. The results have been dramatic – a land that once held the impressive large carnivore suite of Asiatic lion, Caspian tiger, Asiatic cheetah, dhole, gray wolf, leopard and snow leopard now has the unfortunate distinction of having the first three (and perhaps the first four) listed as extinct. The saiga antelope, which once roamed the steppes in herds totalling over a million, have been driven to below 40,000 in just the past fifteen years.

WCS Activities
WCS has numerous projects across the Central Asia region.
· In Kazakhstan we are looking at a suite of raptors, including four sympatric eagle species and three vulture species, to determine ecological relationships, identify conservation priorities, and help build capacity in the Kazakhstan scientific and conservation community.
· In Kyrgyzstan we are working with the International Snow Leopard Trust to study and conserve snow leopards.
· In Tajikistan we are working with government officials and scientists to identify critical conservation areas in the Pamir Mountains in relation to the endangered Marco Polo sheep; WCS hopes to use this information to develop a Greater Pamir Initiative with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China to assist in the creation of an International Peace Park shared between the four countries.

Important Next Steps
· Continue to work toward receiving formal endorsement of the International Peace Park initiative from all four governments. 
· Construct a field station in Kazakhstan to provide logistical support to Kazakhstan and international scientists studying raptors and other wildlife species on the steppe.
· Incorporate data from the snow leopard surveys into community conservation efforts in Kyrgyzstan.
· Provide recommendations based on results of snow leopard survey method comparative analysis to national and international scientists and managers.
· Investigate other opportunities for critical conservation initiatives, including saiga antelope conservation in Kazakhstan, Heptner’s markhor conservation in Tajikistan, Gyps vulture/diclofenac crisis surveys and research across the region, and snow leopard studies throughout their range states.