Representatives from the Ecology and Technical Supervision Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic for the Osh region, as well as inspectors, gamekeepers, and journalists were present at the meeting.
Tolkynbek Asykulov, the head of NABU, stated that the main goal of the organization is the protection of nature worldwide, including Kyrgyzstan. He emphasized the importance of protecting the snow leopard and expressed gratitude to colleagues for their joint work in the past year.
“The organization was initially created to protect the ulars, but then expanded its commitments to the protection of nature as a whole,” he noted.
In 2024, a population count of ulars was conducted, and it turned out that a significant number of these birds inhabit the south of Kyrgyzstan. We investigated their nests for counting. NABU is also engaged in the protection of not only the snow leopard but also its habitat. According to our data and information from other organizations, there are currently about 551 snow leopards in the country, whereas in the 1980s, their population was estimated to be between 800 and 1200 individuals. Previously, 280 leopards were reported, indicating a slow but steady increase in numbers, although the demographic growth remains low,” Asykulov added.
Asanbek Mamraimov, the head of the Osh regional office of the Ecology Service, emphasized that their agency actively collaborates with NABU in identifying cases of illegal hunting and violations of regulations. He proposed to strengthen joint efforts and increase the number of activities to combat poaching.
According to information provided by the head of the "Bars-2" group, fines totaling 1 million 456 thousand soms have been imposed since the beginning of the year for illegal hunting and other offenses.
He also mentioned that on May 14 of this year, a case of illegal shooting of two mountain goats was registered in the Alayku Valley in the Kara-Kulja district. This case was referred to the Kara-Kulja district internal affairs department, and the result was made possible thanks to cooperation with the local population.
Additionally, the southern department received 40 camera traps, which will be installed in the mountainous areas of the Osh, Batken, and Jalal-Abad regions. These devices are planned to be retrieved in the summer of 2026.
During the concluding discussion, the participants of the event exchanged proposals and opinions on issues of nature conservation.
