Abstract: Book Title: Rangeland Stewardship in Central Asia: Balancing Improved Livelihoods, Biodiversity Conservation and Land Protection, 2012. Edited by Victor Squires. Published Springer Science+Business Media. 458 p. 91 illus., 61 in color.
Addressing human–wildlife conflict is an important requisite to managing
rangelands for livestock and wildlife. Despite high altitudes, aridity, and relatively
low primary productivity, the rangelands of Central Asia support a rich and diverse
biodiversity—including the endangered snow leopard that many herders perceive
as a predator to be eliminated. Conserving this and other wildlife species requires
carefully crafted interventions aimed at curbing depredation losses and/or reducing
competition for forage, along with offering locally sustainable, environmentally
friendly income-generating activities for supplementing pastoral household livelihoods.
This is best achieved through a combination of incentives designed to foster
sound rangeland and wildlife stewardship, along penalties or disincentives targeting
herders who violate mutually agreed rules and regulations (including grazing norms
and wildlife disturbance or poaching).
When working toward the harmonious coexistence of people and wildlife,
conservationists and rangeland practitioners need to seek the cooperation and
build goodwill among herders and other stakeholders, including local government
and private industry (especially the livestock production, mining, and tourism
sectors).

Abstract: The snow leopard Uncia uncia is a globally endangered species, occurring in China and 11
neighboring countries, with a total population of 3500-7000 individuals. China is very important
for Snow Leopards, as it contains both the more than half of the distribution area and the largest
remaining population. However, like other big cats, the density is very low, perhaps less than 1
individual per 100 square kilometers in the western mountains of China. This book first reviewed
ten years of research by Xinjiang Snow Leopard Team (XSLT), and it contains over 300 figures
including maps, illustrations, pictures and photos, 46 tables as well as more than a thousand
references and 1100 key words in the index.
In the past ten years, XSLT has received much support and funding from the Snow Leopard
Trust (SLT) and the Xinjiang Conservation Fund (XCF). In this regard, the Chinese government
has not yet given one cent to support the Xinjiang Snow Leopard Project. Our situation is very
difficult indeed, and it is hoped that this book will inspire future government support.
There are many topics discussed in this work including a decade of successes or failures with
the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy (SLSS from 2002 to 2012). The authors also present findings
from every International Snow Leopard Conference (1978-2008), the stories of 14 experts, the big
events of conservation and research (1776-2012), and many questions for future research in the
appendix. This is the first work about snow leopards in China. It is a popular scientific book that
covers snow leopard monitoring, research, conservation and management, and it could also be
very helpful to nature reserve staff and scientists as well as students, teachers, outdoor explorers,
volunteers and cat lovers.
The book contains the following: preface, table of contents (in English), and chapters on the
ancient records of snow leopards; their place in the family of big cats; research methods and field
logs for snow leopards; their population size and distribution in China; biological knowledge,
conservation and management of snow leopards; their presence in zoos; Nature Reserves in
Xinjiang, the experiences of snow leopard conservation in other countries; appendix; index; and
afterword (ISBN 978-7-03-036723-5, the book was published in March 2013 with total of 616
pages and approximately 0.77 million Chinese words, price: RMB 145.00 Yuan).

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.