Central Asian States Sign Wildlife Protection Declaration

In Samarkand, the High-Level Dialogue of the 20th CITES Conference saw the signing of the Samarkand Declaration and a regional cooperation plan extending to 2032, the Committee for Ecology reports.

The agreements were signed by Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The declaration, prepared in partnership with Traffic International, underlines the countries’ commitment to strengthen joint measures against escalating threats to biodiversity including habitat loss, climate change and poaching.

The plan focuses on enhancing coordination between environmental, customs, law enforcement and judicial agencies.

It highlights the creation of national task forces to combat wildlife crime, the use of advanced monitoring technologies, and improvements to information sharing.

Regional cooperation will be reinforced through regular operational data exchange, joint monitoring mechanisms and coordinated actions in border areas.

The countries also agreed to develop a shared strategy encompassing measures to curb illegal wildlife trade, restore ecosystems and protect endangered species.