China and Tajikistan Join Forces to Protect Pamir Wildlife and Reopen Migration Routes

Border Fences Put Mountain Wildlife Under Pressure

China and Tajikistan are working to keep wildlife moving across the Pamirs, where border fences divide the habitat of Marco Polo sheep and researchers conduct surveys at elevations above 4,000 meters. Their joint laboratory, established in March 2022 and expanded in October 2024, combines animal surveys, plant collections, student training and advice to governments on protecting migration routes.

The scale of the problem is visible in a 2024 study of sheep movements. Researchers identified dozens of ecological corridors, including five crossing national boundaries. Under the most restrictive fencing scenario, their model found just 25 permeable passages along the border. Under the least restrictive scenario, it identified 997 natural or potential crossing points.

Those figures describe modeled opportunities for passage. For conservation managers, the practical task is to identify where changes to fences can reconnect herds, allowing animals to reach feeding grounds and mix with other populations.

Chinese and Tajik scientists are also collecting the information needed to understand what keeps these mountain animals alive. They record wildlife sightings, interview herders, analyze droppings and preserve plants that support the plateau's food webs. A multilingual database aims to digitize one million plant specimens by 2026 and expand across Belt and Road partner countries by 2030.

Yang Weikang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, described the patience behind the wildlife surveys:

"Whenever we encounter suitable habitats for Marco Polo sheep, we stop and observe. Sometimes we see only a few, sometimes dozens. Each sighting is valuable for our research," said Yang Weikang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A Laboratory Grows Into a Regional Partnership

The Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources brought the collaboration into formal operation in March 2022. Its partners have since organized quarterly expeditions, technical exchanges, graduate student training and projects involving scientists across Central Asia.

In October 2024, the partnership became the China Tajikistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use. The expanded platform has a broader mission, more partners and greater scope to pool information from arid landscapes. Scientists involved expect further joint surveys, student exchanges and shared platforms that park managers and local governments can use.

The main developments span several years:

• March 2022: China and Tajikistan established the Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources.
• August 2024: Chinese scientists launched a major expedition in Uzbekistan to investigate the dried bed of the Aral Sea.
• October 2024: The collaboration was elevated to the China Tajikistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use.
• 2026: The plant database project aims to have digitized one million specimens.
• 2030: The project plans to expand across Belt and Road partner countries.

Partnerships with institutions in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan extend the work beyond a single valley or species. The shared purpose is to connect field observations, wildlife corridors and communities across a region shaped by ice, wind and animal migrations.

Why the Pamirs Need Connected Protection

The Pamir highlands join several of Asia's great mountain systems. Broad valleys lie beneath massifs covered in snow, while some of the world's largest glaciers outside the polar regions feed rivers flowing toward distant plains.

At elevation, mean summer temperatures remain below 10 degrees Celsius. Annual precipitation is sparse, and persistent winds favor cushion plants, sedges and low shrubs. This cold desert supports species adapted to thin air and brief growing seasons.

Snow leopards and brown bears range across the mountains. Ibex, markhor and wild sheep graze alpine meadows and steppe, including the Marco Polo subspecies of argali, the region's flagship animal. Its sweeping horns are celebrated in travelogues, and its long migrations connect different parts of the Pamirs.

Conservation groups describe the Pamir Alpine Desert and Tundra as a meeting point of biological regions, with a mosaic of habitats and species crossing national boundaries. Protection covers a modest part of the region, and conservation analysts have long called for cooperation across borders to maintain animal movement and coordinate monitoring. One Earth's Pamir ecoregion overview includes protected areas on the Chinese and Tajik sides of the plateau.

What Scientists Record on the Mountain Slopes

The laboratory's field teams travel in small groups with spotting scopes and data sheets. They log species, coordinates, elevation, animal numbers and weather, building records in places where formal information is scarce.

Herders contribute observations about where wildlife appears and when it moves. Their knowledge helps researchers map distribution and seasonal movements between visits. Wang Muyang, a researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, known as XIEG, explained the survey routine:

"We go on expeditions about once a quarter, usually more than 10 days at a time. We record species, altitude and numbers during surveys, and also interview herders to learn about local wildlife distribution," said Wang Muyang of XIEG.

Animal droppings provide another source of information without requiring researchers to catch elusive wildlife. Dietary and genetic analysis can reveal which plants grazing animals depend on, where predators range and how changes in seasonal forage might alter movements. Yang explained how the samples guide conservation:

"Through feces, we can analyze dietary composition and determine which plants animals prefer. This helps us design targeted conservation measures for endangered species," said Yang.

Botanist Li Wenjun and colleagues collect seeds and plant specimens throughout the year, recording coordinates and habitat. They dry samples on the day of collection to prevent decay, creating a reliable record of the vegetation supporting the plateau's food webs.

Li described both the volume of material and the urgency of preserving it:

From a distance, we look like beggars; up close, we are scientists. We carry woven plastic bags because we collect so many specimens," said Li Wenjun. "If we do not process leaves the same day, they wilt.

How Fences Break Up Marco Polo Sheep Habitat

The joint laboratory's surveys indicate that suitable habitat for Marco Polo sheep is becoming increasingly fragmented. Border fences, generally installed for security, block movement along ridgelines and passes where herds previously crossed.

Yang warned that separating habitat pushes sheep into smaller pockets and reduces genetic exchange, the mixing that occurs when animals from different herds breed. He linked that isolation to population decline, fewer surviving lambs and eventual local disappearances.

Yang said the researchers have proposed changes to border infrastructure:

"Fragmented habitats cause population decline. We have recommended modifying border fences to ensure cross border migration corridors remain open," said Yang.

The 2024 study used species distribution models and least cost paths to identify corridors. These methods estimate where suitable habitat lies and which routes offer animals the fewest obstacles. Its Marco Polo sheep study describes the sharp reduction in potential passages under intensive fencing and proposes a network of conservation parks spanning countries, with permeable zones at key bottlenecks.

Practical changes could include redesigning fence sections near known routes, raising bottom wires so lambs can pass and retaining steep terrain without fencing as natural passages. Coordinated patrols could reduce poaching where animals gather at narrow crossings.

The proposed Pamir Peace Park expresses the same approach on a larger map. Long discussed by conservationists, it would recognize wildlife movements across borders involving China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. The joint laboratory's advisory notes to the Tajik government identify specific areas where greater fence permeability could bring immediate benefits to Marco Polo herds.

The researchers' next task is to turn those findings into engineering changes and shared management. The proposals described here do not include a date for implementing fence modifications.

Plant Records Help Explain Where Animals Can Live

The joint laboratory is building a plant diversity database for Central Asia with entries in Chinese, Russian and English, alongside an open access portal for researchers. Its goal of digitizing one million specimens by 2026 would make preserved collections easier to search and compare.

A labeled specimen records what grew in a particular place at a particular time. Collections accumulated over decades can therefore serve as a climate record, helping scientists track changes in plant distributions. The planned expansion across Belt and Road partner countries by 2030 would widen that geographic record.

Zhang Yuanming, director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, described an accompanying bank of biological resources from arid regions. It would preserve genetic material from plants adapted to heat and drought. He explained how digital collections could support the work:

"By digitally managing the plant specimens preserved in herbariums, we can use big data analysis to uncover trends in plant development amid climate change. We are building an arid region bio resource bank, like a Noah's Ark for life in drylands," said Zhang Yuanming, director of the institute.

For Marco Polo sheep, ibex and markhor, plant records help explain where food will remain available. Research on plant and ungulate interactions in Central Asia finds that plant availability is a major predictor of where these hoofed animals can live as the climate changes.

Models that include relationships between plants and animals produce more accurate and less pessimistic forecasts of suitable ranges than models that leave forage out. Protected areas can provide places where suitable climate conditions persist, yet less than half of current ranges fall within them. Combining herbarium records, vegetation surveys and animal movements can help planners position new protections and adjust grazing where they will matter most.

Fieldwork Depends on Endurance and Trust

Researchers working above 4,000 meters face biting winds, thin air and long waits. They sometimes sleep in sheep pens on dried dung, which provides warmth and, to their relief, is free of insects.

Communication shifts between Chinese, Russian and Tajik. Handheld translators can lag in mountain conditions, adding difficulty to work that already demands patience. Days may pass without an animal sighting before a herd finally appears near the snow line.

Wang Muyang described the change in mood when wildlife comes into view after hours spent scanning empty slopes:

"Days can pass without seeing an animal. Then suddenly a herd appears, it feels like discovering a new world," said Wang Muyang.

Shared meals provide another small comfort when temperatures fall and boots remain damp. Team member Chen Chen described a favorite field meal:

"In the field, naan bread with chili sauce is unbeatable," said Chen Chen.

These routines help sustain the repeated visits needed for dependable records. The collaboration also depends on relationships with herders and colleagues who work across languages and institutions.

From Pamir Corridors to the Aral Sea

Chinese scientists launched a major expedition in Uzbekistan in August 2024 to study the dried bed of the Aral Sea, one of the world's starkest environmental crises. The team is surveying biodiversity, soils, hydrology and topography to prepare a restoration and development roadmap.

Hydrology concerns how water moves and is stored; topography describes the shape of the land. Together with soil and wildlife surveys, these measurements can help guide planning for communities now living along the former lake's fringe.

The expedition connects the laboratory's regional partnerships to a different environmental challenge. In the Pamirs, the immediate concern is keeping wildlife habitat connected. Around the Aral Sea, the work concerns recovery across a damaged landscape and development planning for nearby communities.

Regional expeditions are also testing how scientific teams can help communities plan under climate stress, from glacier change to dust storms in the Aral Sea basin. The broader laboratory platform allows information from these arid landscapes to be shared among institutions in China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

How Local Conservation Pays for Protection

Community conservancies in Tajikistan offer another approach to protecting wildlife where tourism is limited and public budgets are tight. In several Pamir districts, regulated trophy hunting of markhor, ibex, urial and Marco Polo sheep generates income for rangers, clinics, fences and village institutions.

The practice is controversial. Some Tajik programs report increases in prey populations and snow leopard presence where community rules are enforced and hunting quotas remain restricted. The financial incentive gives residents a direct stake in keeping wildlife populations healthy.

Accounts documented by conservation practitioners and journalists describe marked growth in Bukharan markhor populations on reserves established in the mid 2000s. Reported fees for a single markhor permit can exceed £100,000, with a portion going directly to village institutions in areas where other jobs are scarce.

Snow leopard surveys in these areas have recorded more cats over time, a trend linked to a healthier supply of wild prey and reduced poaching. A Tajik conservancy account describes how the programs operate and includes comments from Tajik biologists and reserve managers.

These arrangements require strict oversight to remain sustainable and cannot be transferred to every setting. The practical issue for the Pamirs is whether local residents gain enough from conservation to support it. The laboratory's outreach to herders and its focus on information that can support compensation or measures to prevent livestock losses address that same need.

Genetics Adds New Tools for Sheep and Carnivores

Argali, the largest wild sheep in Central and East Asia, face declines associated with hunting, disease and habitat loss. New research has produced a highly complete and accurate genome organized at chromosome level for the Tibetan subspecies.

Scientists identified more than 21,000 genes that provide instructions for making proteins and mapped sequences to 28 pseudo chromosomes, assembled sequences representing chromosomes. Resequencing populations across several subspecies provides a reference for clarifying their classification, identifying distinct groups for protection and tracking genetic health across international boundaries.

Research on Himalayan wolves, also called Tibetan wolves, suggests that they diverged from other gray wolves far back in evolutionary history. They carry adaptations that help them process oxygen in thin air. Teams conducting snow leopard surveys in China, Nepal, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have contributed droppings that help establish where these wolves live and how their ranges overlap with snow leopards.

Understanding these lineages can help direct protection where rare genetic diversity and human livelihoods meet. Snow leopards remain classified as vulnerable on the Red List, despite increased sightings in parts of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Tajik Pamirs.

Mining roads can open remote valleys to greater human access, while overgrazing reduces wild prey. Programs combining corrals that keep predators out, deterrent lights and compensation for livestock losses have proven helpful. The laboratory's data sharing and community engagement provide a basis for extending such work across language and border barriers.

Turning Shared Science Into Shared Management

Scientists at the China Tajikistan laboratory identify practical action as the next essential step. Corridor studies indicate where making fences permeable would bring the greatest gains for Marco Polo sheep. Larger plant databases can help planners compare forage with migration routes, place new protections and adjust grazing.

Abdusattor Samadovich Saidov, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and the laboratory's Tajik director, explained why national programs need to work together:

"Biodiversity conservation is a global challenge, no single country can address it alone. Transboundary cooperation is crucial, particularly in regions like Central Asia, where species such as migratory birds and mammals traverse national borders," said Saidov.

Zhang has also described science as a connection between people across languages and institutions. In his view, joint biodiversity research, combined with practical corridor design and restoration plans, can protect ecological security and improve daily life for mountain communities.

The partnership's value lies in bringing those tasks together: observing animals, preserving plants, understanding local livelihoods and providing governments with information they can use. Keeping migration routes open will require that shared knowledge to become changes on the ground.

Highlights

• China and Tajikistan established their joint biodiversity laboratory in March 2022 and expanded it into a Belt and Road platform in October 2024.
• Quarterly expeditions usually last more than 10 days and combine wildlife counts, herder interviews, droppings analysis and plant collection.
• A 2024 sheep corridor study identified five routes crossing national borders, with modeled passages falling from 997 under the least restrictive fencing scenario to 25 under the most restrictive.
• Researchers recommend targeted fence changes and coordinated protection to reconnect Marco Polo sheep habitat.
• A database in Chinese, Russian and English aims to digitize one million plant specimens by 2026 and expand across partner countries by 2030.
• Regional work includes an expedition launched in Uzbekistan in August 2024 to guide restoration and development around the dried Aral Sea bed.
• Tajik community conservancies use regulated hunting income to fund local services and wildlife protection, with strict oversight needed.
• Argali genome research, Himalayan wolf studies and measures to prevent livestock losses add tools for protecting mountain wildlife.