Community-Based Wildlife Conservation in Tajikistan

The anti-IWT initiative

Community-based wildlife management is a recent development in Tajikistan. In some areas, local traditional hunters increasingly realised that the declines of wildlife were a direct effect of unregulated and intensive hunting and that such declines would ultimately not only deprive them of their own hunting opportunities but also cause the loss of related income opportunities and cultural heritage.

Since 2008 wildlife management areas - or conservancies - that are protected by families or associations of local hunters have been established with the support of wildlife conservation and development organisations such as the Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan (ANCOT). Local ex-hunters help to prevent community members and outsiders from poaching. With wildlife numbers on the rise legal and regulated trophy hunting, and other revenue-generating activities such as guided hiking, game-viewing, wildlife photography, was introduced.

Revenues generated from these enterprises support the work of local rangers and nature guides, and any surpluses are invested in local development projects. This approach provides revenues to local families and motivates them to refrain from poaching and to protect wildlife populations and the habitats they rely on.

ANCOT has the following goals:

1. Promote the conservation and sustainable use of the different species found in the conservancies, including strictly regulated and sustainable hunting of Asiatic ibex, argali sheep, Bukhara urial, Tajik markhor, and wild boar, and nature tourism with protected species, like snow leopard, brown bear, and many other species, providing the attraction;
    
2. Supporting the conservancies’ managers in the conservation and sustainable use of its wildlife, pastures, forests, mountains and other natural resources;
    
3. Providing advice to the NGOs, small family businesses and local communities on governance and institutional issues, including advice on how best to invest proceeds from hunts in projects aimed at improving local livelihoods and fostering the development of the communities in and adjacent to the conservancies;
    
4. Marketing the uniqueness of the hunts as well as other tourism opportunities, by highlighting the benefits to wildlife conservation, livelihoods of rural people and the sustainable development of the involved communities; and
    
5. Acting as the link between the community-based organisations, managing the conservancies and offering hunting and tourism services, and the interested hunters, hunting outfitters, tourists, and travel companies.

ANCOT and its partners address the conservation of the entire ecosystem and its biodiversity, including carnivores like the snow leopard, and the development of the local community in a way that is sustainable and does not harm their environment and wildlife. The initiative specifically seeks to address the motivation for communities’ involvement with poaching and the IWT. The central tenet of the project is that without community support and engagement, the poaching problem will not be resolved. Sustainable and well-regulated hunting is an important part of the conservation approach of ANCOT and its members. Sports hunting by international hunters can provide the necessary financial means to fund wildlife conservation in the conservancy areas and motivate local communities through investments in community development. The hunting offers marketed by ANCOT on behalf of its members are in accordance with the principles of conservation hunting, in particular through quota setting and selection of animals for harvest in a way that minimises the impact on population numbers, demographic structure, and genetics.

Inclusion of gender, age and ethnic groups

The initiative involves entire villages and also some specific members, including ex-poachers and women.