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  • PROJECT
  • PROJECT
  1. Topics
  2. Species
  3. Goitered gazelle project
  • Reintroducing the goitered gazelle in Kyrgyzstan
  • Species profile: Goitered gazelle
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Reintroducing the goitered gazelle in Kyrgyzstan

NABU supports the preservation of a locally extinct species

Drone image of the goitered gazelle reintroduction enclosure near Issyk-Kul Lake in northeastern Kyrgyzstan - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

Drone image of the goitered gazelle reintroduction enclosure near Issyk-Kul Lake in northeastern Kyrgyzstan - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

The goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) inhabits Asian steppes and semi-deserts and is the northernmost distributed gazelle species in the world. Its habitat ranges from the Caucasus through Iran, southern Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, to the Gobi Desert and northern China. The little gazelle was once at home in Kyrgyzstan too, but has in the meantime become locally extinct in the area. NABU is therefore supporting a project to reintroduce this species.

Poaching and the destruction of its habitat through the expansion of industry, agriculture and livestock are particular threats to the goitered gazelle. Border fences also endanger the continued survival of the species, as these can interrupt their migratory routes and become fatal traps. The past few decades were especially marked by the decline of the animals. Today, there are an estimated 42,000 to 49,000 adult individuals of the species worldwide. They have entirely disappeared from the wild in Kyrgyzstan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) therefore categorizes the species as vulnerable to extinction.


Implementation of the project

The reintroduction project is being implemented by our two Kyrgyz partners, the Argali Foundation and the Ilbirs Foundation. In the pilot phase, the two conservation NGOs created a species-appropriate enclosure and brought the first 15 juvenile animals from the "Jeyran" breeding station in Uzbekistan to the Kyrgyz reintroduction facility. The pilot phase was financed by the GEF Small Grants Programme in Kyrgyzstan and through private funding.

In 2022, NABU sponsored the expansion of the gazelle enclosure from 0.25 hectares to an area of approximately twelve hectares. Additional juvenile goitered gazelles were also transported to the reintroduction enclosure, in order to establish a stable and genetically diverse population there.

The project is accompanied by environmental education measures to combat poaching and illegal trade. The project partners plan to release the first goitered gazelles into the wild in 2026. This benchmark will depend on whether the animals have reproduced to a sufficient extent by that point.



  • Goitered gazelles are carefully carried from the transport vehicle after their journey from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan. - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

  • The goitered gazelles are wrapped in special sacks for the journey. - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

  • Arrived in the Kyrgyz reintroduction facility, the young goitered gazelles observe their new surroundings. - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

  • Multiple small goitered gazelles in the reintroduction enclosure in Kyrgyzstan. - photo: NABU/ Ivan Turkovskii

Project facts

Project title
Reintroduction of the goitered gazelle in Kyrgyzstan

Country
Kyrgyzstan

Period
2021 to 2030

Partners
Kyrgyz conservation NGOs: Argali Foundation, Ilbirs Foundation

With this project we are contributing to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 11, SDG 15 and SDG 17

0.3 MB - Information about the reintroduction project
 

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CONTACTS

Katja Kaupisch - photo: NABU
Katja Kaupisch
Head of the Central Asia and Eastern Europe Programme Katja.Kaupisch@NABU.de
Ekaterina Kovtun - photo: Sevens u. Maltry/NABU
Ekaterina Kovtun
Junior Advisor for International Species Conservation Eurasia Ekaterina.Kovtun@NABU.de

PROJECT PARTNERS

Argali Foundation
Ilbirs Foundation

SPECIES PROFILE

Male goitered gazelles can be recognized by their horns and their prominent larynxes. Image taken with a camera trap. - photo: Mark Pestov

The goitered gazelle

The vulnerable goitered gazelle inhabits Asian steppes and semi-deserts, and is the northernmost distributed gazelle species in the world.

Get to know the gazelles

CONSERVATION WORLDWIDE

Overview of our focus regions - photo: Adobe Stock / vegofox

Focus Regions

Nature conservation does not stop at national borders. NABU is active in these regions: Europe, Africa, Central Asia, South Eath Asia and Caucasus.

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