COP10 Outcome: Enhancing the Protection of Bukhara Deer and Other Central Asian Mammals

Bonn,
24 February 2012
- The First Meeting of the Signatories
to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation
and Restoration of the Bukhara Deer (Cervus elaphus
bactrianus
) took place on 20 November 2011. The meeting
brought together representatives from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan, as well as international experts.

The Signatories reviewed the conservation
status of the Bukhara Deer, which had previously disappeared
from the riparian forests along the rivers of Amu Darya
and Syr Darya due to uncontrolled hunting, logging and unsustainable
agricultural practices. The endangered species has since
been reintroduced as a result of conservation measures under
the CMS agreement.

“Just now Kazakhstan is actively
establishing new protected areas for the Bukhara Deer, taking
measures to reintroduce Bukhara Deer in its historical areas
and looking for additional sites where protected areas can
be established,” explained Khairbek Mussabayev, Deputy
Chairman of the Forestry and Hunting Committee at the Ministry
of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In fact, the Bukhara Deer population has
quadrupled since the establishment of the MOU in 2002. But
despite many improvements, habitat loss and degradation
continue to pose a threat to Central Asian mammals such
as Wild camels, Asiatic wild asses, Saiga antelopes, Wild
gazelles, sheep, and yaks as well as snow leopards. An Action
Plan for Eurasian Aridland Mammals aims at tackling this
challenge and outlines a number of measures, such as protecting
lowland riparian forests along the river basins and capacity
building for wildlife authorities, park rangers and local
communities. The CMS Action Plan will be further developed
together with Central Asian countries and other stakeholders
to provide a comprehensive strategy for improved transboundary
collaboration among Governments, nature conservation agencies,
NGOs and local communities to enhance coordinated research
and conservation action, wildlife law enforcement and information
exchange.

At the meeting, the Signatories inter
alia amended the MOU to recognize Afghanistan as a Range
State of the Bukhara deer, adopted a new national reporting
format and agreed to develop a new Medium-Term International
Work Programme to outline conservation priorities for the
next five years. Overall, Signatories reiterated their commitment
to enhance the conservation of Bukhara Deer across its range
and agreed on a number of national and transboundary priority
actions.

For more information about the Bukhara
Deer meeting, click here.

For the video interview with Khairbek Mussabayev,
Deputy Chairman of the Forestry and Hunting Committee at
the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
click here.

To read more about the COP, read the special
edition of the CMS
Bulletin
.

 

Last updated on 16 June 2014

Type: 
News