Kyrgyzstan has handed over three snow leopards to the Snow Leopard Centre located in the Altai Mountains as part of efforts to reintroduce and strengthen the local population, announced the republic’s Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliyev, RIA news agency reports.
«This is not merely a symbolic gesture but a contribution to the sustainability of the Altai-Sayan ecosystem,» he said during an international environmental conference.
According to the Prime Minister, Kyrgyzstan is actively engaged in protecting the snow leopard population, which now numbers over 500 species. To preserve biodiversity, the country has established a network of 96 specially protected natural areas covering more than two million hectares.
Kasymaliyev also proposed the idea of creating cross-border ecological corridors that would include territories of neighbouring countries to safeguard biodiversity in Central Asia.
«The creation of transboundary ecological corridors not only supports biodiversity preservation but also opens new opportunities for sustainable development, including ecotourism,» he added.
The snow leopard, or irbis, is the only large cat species adapted to survive in the harsh conditions of high mountains. Sightings in the wild are extremely rare. The irbis is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List and is considered a rare or endangered species across all 12 countries within its range. Globally, there are approximately 4,000 snow leopards remaining.
Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to collaborate on the conservation of the saiga antelope.
