DW: How did this road map come about?

Christiane Röttger: We started last year with initiating a process to investigate the situation of migratory mammals in Central Asia. We started to assess the gaps and needs in terms of the conservation of those species, to really find out what are the conservation measures that are already ongoing for those species, both that are undertaken by the governments and also by NGOs and other stakeholders. That led to the organization of a regional stakeholder meeting which took place last week in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and was hosted by the Kirgiz government. There we discussed what kind of activities should be included in this program.

Which animals does it aim to protect?

The Asiatic wild ass is one of the species that will be protected be the new initiative

It covers 14 species of migratory mammals and the species are ungulate species such as the Saiga antelope, the Mongolian gazelle, the Goitered gazelle but also the wild yak, the wild camel, the Asiatic wild ass, and mountain animals such as the Argali sheep which is the biggest wild sheep, also predators like the Asiatic cheetah and the snow leopard. All of those species or most of them are in a declining trend. Some of them are critically endangered like the wild camel and the Saiga antelope which is now fortunately recovering. Many others are endangered and we don't want to wait until the populations are declining further.

There’s a need to invest in their conservation now especially as the landscapes where they move are still relatively in tact and interconnected. There’s these vast steppe and desert ecosystem. These animals really depend on these landscapes to move freely, to find the best forage and food and need grasslands to avoid harsh weather events like deep snow and ice. For example, the wild ass has been found to move more than 80.000 square kilometers (30.888 square miles) in just one month. This illustrates the need for these animals to be able to move freely. And at the same time in many countries there’s a lot of mining and extraction of natural resources going on, especially in Mongolia. This goes along with building infrastructure, railroads, fences etcetera which of course hinder the movement of those animals.

What are the main threats to these species?

The main threats are illegal hunting and trade, for example, the Saiga antelope has experienced a massive breakdown in its population since the 90s. After the breakdown of the Soviet Union, it was hunted excessively for its meat but also for the horns of the male antelopes which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Other threats include the barriers to migration, the infrastructure that's being built - both related to the extraction of natural resources but also, for example, border fences, overgrazing, competition with livestock, even wildlife conflict and increased human settlements and disturbance.

Which Asian countries are participating?

The initiative covers 14 countries which is a huge area. From the southern part of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia to the western parts of China, the Tibetan plateau as well as northern India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, the mountain countries Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and south towards Turkmenistan, Iran and Afghanistan is also included. It’s a huge area.

Why is a joint initiative needed to protect these 14 species of large mammals in central Asia? What are the benefits of a regional initiative?

Christiane Röttger hopes that the initiative will raise awareness for the Central Asian animal's habitat

This initiative has several objectives, one is to facilitate trans-boundary cooperation and coordinated conservation efforts. Another is to raise awareness about the region and highlight the importance and uniqueness of this region in terms of its biodiversity, and especially in terms of the migration taking place there. Everyone knows Serengeti and the wilder beast movements but Central Asia is also called Serengeti of the north. It's one of the last migration hotspots where you still find mass migrations of herds of Mongolian gazelles, Saiga antelopes but no one knows this. It's the time now to invest in conservation before it's becoming fragmented or even lost. The initiative is also a tool to create synergies based on geography, based on species clustering to achieve more cost effective and efficient implementation of the CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals) and its mandates in the region.

And what are the next steps?

The next steps will be discussions on the conference of the parties and then of course start to implement it. Liaise with the countries to see what are the actions need to be taken on the national level and by whom.

What do you hope to achieve with this initiative?

I hope that we can make a contribution to conserving those species and to mobilize support and awareness for their situation. Effectively fulfilling the role of the convention in bringing the countries together and facilitating trans-boundary dialogue and cooperation and also communication and thereby help to strengthen the conservation efforts.

Christiane Röttger is the regional officer for Central Asia at the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species.