Conservationists from Central Asia joining to advance new solutions to save wild cats
In our mission to prevent extinction, CXL’s Central Asian Programs are working to build local capacity, strengthen relationships with government partners, and nurture regional cooperation to advance the conservation of imperiled Central Asian flagship mammal species, especially the Persian Leopard and Snow Leopard.
The programs build on a more than a decade-long engagement in the region, working on mitigating human-wildlife conflict, building community-based conservancies, strengthening management of protected areas, and addressing illegal wildlife trade.
Cores corridors and cats across Central Asia
The Conservation X Labs team was awarded funding for a 3-year long project by the National Geographic Society called “Cores Corridors and Cats across Central Asia.” The project will bring conservationists from Kyrgzstan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan together to advance solutions for the conservation of Persian and Snow Leopards beginning in March 2023.
Tanya Rosen, a cat conservationist, is Director of our Central Asian program, building collaborations to advance conservation of imperiled wildlife in the region by strengthening local and regional capacity to effectively protect it and addressing the threats it faces, including by harnessing the technology CXL is developing.
The “Cores Corridors and Cats across Central Asia” project will bring together leaders from the three countries to leverage cutting-edge science and technology to protect Persian and snow leopards. The project will work with local communities and government agencies to develop sustainable conservation practices that benefit both wildlife and people.
The project will focus on mitigating these threats by leading community-based conservation efforts, increasing uptake of new conservation technologies, establishing new protected areas, and enhancing law enforcement.
Protecting species
The Persian leopard, once widespread throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, is critically endangered and is restricted to small pockets of its range due to habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with humans.
Similarly, the snow leopard is facing extinction due to threats from illegal wildlife trade, habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict, and loss of prey due to poaching.
Conservation X Labs is partnering with local NGOs, research institutions, and government agencies in each country to implement the project. Partners include the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan and Biodiversity and Research Center Community Trust, the Ilbirs Foundation, and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation.
The project will use cutting-edge technologies such as camera traps, AI, and genetic detection technology like CXL’s NABIT and Sentinel to monitor the leopards and their habitat. The Central Asian program is expected to have a significant impact on preventing the extinction of Persian leopards and snow leopards in Central Asia.
Learn more about our work in the
2023 Assessment of Wildlife and Protected Areas in Turkmenistan report.
