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Good practice Imported

Community-Based Markhor Conservancies — Trophy-Hunting Revenue Funding Anti-Poaching and Village Services in Southwestern Tajikistan

Tajikistan · Kulob · See the Tajikistan profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 58% 40/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Since 2008, Tajik villages in the Khatlon mountains have run markhor conservancies funded by regulated trophy-hunting permits, helping the national markhor population recover from a post-civil-war low to over 7,000 by 2022.

7,000+
Markhor population (national survey) (March 2022)
$100,000-120,000
M-Sayod conservancy trophy-permit revenue (2016)
$41,000
Government licensing-fee share of permit revenue (2016)
10
Community conservancies (2022)
Community-Based Markhor Conservancies — Trophy-Hunting Revenue Funding Anti-Poaching and Village Services in Southwestern Tajikistan

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Community conservancies (e.g. M-Sayod, Saidi Tagnob) with Panthera and GIZ, under Tajikistan's Mountain Ungulate Project
Period
2008–present
Keywords
biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, community conservancies, sustainable hunting

Context

Civil-war-era poaching in 1990s Tajikistan pushed the endangered Heptner's markhor to a few hundred individuals in the southwestern Khatlon mountains.

Activities

Starting 2008, local hunters and villagers formed community-run conservancies (six, expanding to ten by 2022) supported by Panthera and GIZ; each sells a small number of markhor trophy-hunting permits per year, funding rangers, anti-poaching patrols and community projects including water pipelines and scholarships.

Results

A March 2022 survey across roughly 2,000 km2 covering ten conservancies recorded more than 7,000 markhor nationally, up from the 1990s low; the IUCN upgraded the species from 'Endangered' to 'Near Threatened' in 2014.

Conclusions

The model depends on continued international quota approval (CITES) and on conservancies maintaining strict internal anti-poaching discipline.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Conservancy rangers, many former poachers, Village conservancy committees

Conditions for success

  • Continued CITES quota approval
  • Strict internal anti-poaching discipline
  • Transparent revenue distribution to community services

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