Abstract: The Karatau ridge is an extreme north-west spur of the Tien Shan mountain system. Flora of Karatau is represented by no less than 1,500 higher vessel plant species. Karatau and the adjacent areas host 16 reptile species, 114 bird and 42 mammal species. Snow leopard disappeared from fauna of Karatau in 20th century. In 1940-s, the animal species was met at the highest point of the ridge in the Manjilki area, particularly in tract Kor-Djailau. Now there are no snow leopards in the area under study a fact evidenced by local hunters and shepherds.

Abstract: This Newcastle University Expedition reviewed the conflict between man and snow leopard in the region east of Tekeli in the Dzhungarian Alatau range, Kazakhstan. After the soviet state breakup in 1991 snow leopards in Kazakhstan and in the other Asian republics were subjected to high levels of persecution. There are thought to be between 180-200 snow leopards in Kazakhstan, of which 37-40 individuals inhabit the Dzhungarian Mountains. No work has been done previously
to review the present snow leopard-human conflicts in this region, and this project looked to update previous reports from Central Asia about predominant conflicts in these regions.
The expedition team worked with the Institute of Zoology in Kazakhstan and two of the six person team were Kazakh students. Methods comparable to those used in previous studies were used to map and rank the threats in the western area of the range, over an eight week period. The expedition team lived in the mountains for periods of two-three weeks, carrying all their food and equipment and using local vehicles, horses and trekking to move from pasture to pasture. Semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and prey counts were used to assess snow leopard-human conflicts including poaching of snow leopard, poaching of leopard
wild prey, human disturbance and livestock overgrazing.
The results from the report support much previous work from Kazakhstan and other
areas in Central Asia, but serve as a useful update shedding light on an optimistic future for snow leopard conservation while highlighting what the expedition team perceives to be the major threats to snow leopards.
The threats to snow leopards, in order of relevance from most to least, are loss of prey predominantly through hunting by local people (both legal and illegal), direct hunting of snow leopard for pelt/medicine, disturbance by herders on the pastures, snow leopard habitat fragmentation around the mountain bases, and least importantly overgrazing by domestic livestock. Retaliatory kills by herders are not a threat in the region and on livestock were killed by snow leopards. Levels of all hunting, legal and illegal, need to be reduced in the range until wildlife populations have recovered significantly from the mid-1990’s over-hunting period.
Levels of rural corruption among many stakeholders were high around the mountain region, and are thought to contribute negatively to wildlife conservation in the area. Ecotourism in the area, that incorporates local people around the mountain region, is proposed as a solution to offer local people’s incentives to lower hunting levels.

Abstract: Snow leopard is a common species for the Almaty nature reserve due to numerous wild ungulates, particularly ibexes (about 600 ibexes at a density of 32 animals per 1,000 ha) inhabiting the area. According to the data of 1982 there were 0.5 footprints of snow leopard per 10 km of transect. The remains of ibex, roe deer, squirrel, gray vole mouse and birds were found in faeces of snow leopards. Snow leopard attacks their prey unexpectedly, being in wait for it in such places where prey is difficult to escape from. When hunt is successful the prey is killed almost instantly. Snow leopard feeds upon the same prey for several days.

Abstract: It provides general information about the Almatya nature reserve (Kazakhstan), its physico-geographical features and description of flora and fauna. Snow leopard inhabits alpine zone and goes down as low as forest-meadow zone following ibex in winter. There are two or three families of snow leopard in the nature reserve. The population of ibex is 600 700 animals.

Abstract: The data on predators and ungulates population dynamics in Almaty Nature reserve (Kazakhstan) in 1983-1987s are given. The number of snow leopard is stable (3-5 individuals), the density is 0.06 indi/1000 ha. An insignificant increase of Siberian ibex' number (660 to 700) with density of 36 indi/1000 ha is recorded.