Abstract: In 1981, rare Felidae species such as snow leopard, Turkistan lynx, and manul (one encounter recorded) were found in the Besh-Aral nature reserve (the Chatkal valley). Illegal hunting and high concentration of people in some places is emphasized to impact the animal populations.

Abstract: In the Mongolian and Gobi Altai mountain ranges and also in some other mountains in this region, the
distribution of the snow leopard and Eurasian lynx overlaps. In some cases, local hunters cannot
distinguish the tracks of both these animals. Therefore we outline a simple method to distinguish tracks of
the snow leopard and lynx.

Abstract: Kyrgyzstan is a land of towering mountains, glaciers, rushing streams, wildflowercovered meadows, forests, snow leopards, soaring eagles, and yurt-dwelling nomads. The entire nation lies astride the Tian Shan1, Chinese for “Heavenly Mountains”, one of the world's highest mountain ranges, which is 7439 m (24,400 ft) in elevation at its highest point. The nation is the second smallest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics. In
spite of Kyrgyzstan's diverse wildlife and stunning natural beauty, the nation remains little known, and, as yet, still on the frontier of international conservation efforts. The following report is the product of 12 months of research into the state of conservation and land-use in Kyrgyzstan. This effort was funded by the Fulbright Commission of the U.S. State Department, and represents the most recent findings of the author's personal environmental journey through Inner Asia, which began in 1999. When I first started my preliminary research for this project, I was extremely surprised to learn that, even though the Tian Shan Range has tremendous ecological significance for conservation efforts in middle Asia, there wasn't a single major international conservation organization with an office in the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Even more surprising was how little awareness there is of conservation issues in the Tian Shan region amongst conservation workers in neighboring areas who are attempting to preserve similar species assemblages and ecosystems to those found in the Tian Shan. Given this lack of awareness, and the great potential for the international community to make a positive contribution towards improving the current state of biodiversity conservation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, I have summarized my findings on protected areas and conservation in Kyrgyzstan and the Tian Shan of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang in the chapters below. The report begins with some brief background information on geography and society in the Kyrgyz Republic, followed by an overview of biodiversity and the state of conservation in the nation, which at the present time closely parallels the state of conservation in the other former Soviet Central Asian republics. Part IV of the report provides a catalog of all major protected areas in Kyrgyzstan and the other Tian Shan nations, followed by a list of sites in Kyrgyzstan that are as yet unprotected but merit protection. In the appendices the reader will find fairly comprehensive species lists of flora and fauna found in the Kyrgyz Republic, including lists of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, trees and shrubs, wildflowers, and endemic plants. In addition, a
draft paper on the history and current practice of pastoral nomadism in Kyrgyzstan has been included in Appendix A. While the research emphasis for this study was on eastern Kyrgyzstan, over the course of the study the author did have the opportunity to make brief journeys to southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. While falling short of being a definitive survey of protected areas of the Tian Shan, the informational review which
follows is the first attempt at bringing the details of conservation efforts throughout the entire Tian Shan Range together in one place. It is hoped that this summary of biodiversity and conservation in the Tian Shan will generate interest in the region amongst conservationists, and help increase efforts to protect this surprisingly unknown range that forms an island of meadows, rivers, lakes, and forests in the arid heart of Asia.

Abstract: Snow leopard and its habitat within the USSR and Uzbek SSR are described. Its habitat in the Chatkal and Hissar ridges are described too. Given are data concerning alimentary biology, reproduction, and attitude to man. Female snow leopards become mature at the age of two three years, male at the age of four years. Reproduction occurs once every two years. Presumably, there are 10 animals in the country. Snow leopard is protected in four nature reserves in Uzbekistan and a number of nature reserves in neighbour countries.

Abstract: Snow leopards and agropastoral communities have co-existed in snow leopard range countries for centuries. The vulnerable snow leopard forms and maintains the entire ecosystem, serving as an indicator species of a healthy alpine ecosystem. However, snow leopards, on the other hand, habitually kill livestock, occasionally killing 100 or more livestock in a single night, resulting in snow leopard retaliation. Thus, the snow leopard is becoming more threatened, so more attention should be paid. Therefore, numerous conservation mitigation strategies have been applied to maintain human-snow leopard coexistence in countries of the snow leopard range. However, such implemented conservation strategies lacked a thorough assessment of their achievements or shortcomings in protecting the snow leopard and enhancing community tolerance. Therefore, we systematically examined and evaluated peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on existing and implemented mitigation measures. We use the software Publish or Perish to achieve this, and we assess using the Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) review approach. We thoroughly analyzed 42 papers and book chapters that were condensed human- snow leopard co-existence-related literature published in English from 2010 to 2023. Almost 90% of the papers were country-specific, with the remaining papers covering regional or snow leopard ranges countries. Nepal had the most papers, followed by China, India, and Mongolia; however, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan each had<10%, but there was no single document from Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. Predator-proof corral, improved herding practices, and community-based insurance programs were three of the key recommendations that were more than 10 to 22 times proposed interventions. There are site-specific sociocultural situations and environments that require long-term action-oriented research that is area-specific rather than short-term and generic interventions. We identified a large knowledge gap in snow leopard research, specifically a lack of evidence that demonstrates and quantifies the effects of conservation actions, and strongly advise that it be further researched.