WSF Announces Asian Wild Sheep Plan

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The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) has announced a major advancement in the conservation and management of Central Asia’s wild sheep and goat populations under the Foundation’s Central Asia Conservation Initiative (CACI). The initiative includes the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Central Asian NGOs and governments that will dedicate funding and commitments to on-the-ground conservation actions.

WSF and OXUS Holding of Tajikistan recently entered into their first-ever (historic) MOU. OXUS Holding is one of Tajikistan’s most respected companies dedicated to conserving wildlife species in protected areas through sustainable use and ecological tourism. Tajikistan is home for Bukhara Markhor, Asiatic Ibex, argali Marco Polo sheep, Bukhara Urial, Severtsov argali and Bukhara deer. The MOU includes moving forward with Conservation Permits, the proceeds of which will be directed for implementing surveys and habitat enhancement work in 2020.

“The MOU provides a self-funding mechanism for reliable and transparent financing to support science-based monitoring of species, population, and habitat enhancements, as well as disease surveillance, public education, and anti-poaching efforts,” said Kurt Alt, WSF Conservation Director – Montana & International Programs. Central Asian “Conservation Permits are no different than North American auction permits that direct funding for conservation actions to States, Provinces, Territories, Tribes and First Nations. These permits will now be used to generate critical funding from the sustainable use of Tajikistan wild sheep and goats specifically for the future conservation of those species in this region.”

“The goal of OXUS is the conservation and healthy habitats of all ungulate species across Tajikistan,” explained Khalil Karimov, Deputy Director-General for Oxus Holding. “The Committee of the Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan to the USA, have played an important role in establishing this partnership.”

According to Jack Atcheson Jr., Chairman, WSF Conservation Committee, “Just a few years ago, we had conservation strategies for just wild sheep in the US and Canada. Our membership in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and involvement in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has given WSF a global voice.  Now we have strong conservation strategies in Mexico, and through MOUs in Kazakhstan, Mongolian, and now Tajikistan. Our unique conservation model of putting and keeping wild sheep on the mountain is rapidly becoming the center stage in introducing a proven North American conservation model to new international conservation partners.”

“WSF and OXUS urge all interested stakeholders to join forces and be part of the conservation of ungulates in Central Asia,” said Karimov and Alt. “There are many conservation and management actions planned, and everyone could contribute. The beneficiaries will be the mountain ungulates of Tajikistan and its local communities, and the hunting industry in Tajikistan, and around the world. By relying on science-based management, the image for conservation hunting will be enhanced for broader audiences. These actions will help secure sustainable conservation through sustainable use hunting for wildlife and local communities.”

Source: Wild Sheep Foundation

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