Ministry of Ecology, environmental protection and climate change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The conference brought together 180 representatives from government agencies, environmental organizations, the scientific community, businesses, and charitable foundations from 12 snow leopard range countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Speaking at the plenary session, representatives of the Uzbek delegation highlighted the systematic measures taken by the country's government to preserve biodiversity. It was noted that over the past five years, the area of protected natural areas (PNAs) in Uzbekistan has increased from 4.6% to 14.1%. Additionally, three new visitor centers have been established to promote ecotourism and environmental education, two of which are dedicated to studying mountain ecosystems and the habitat of the snow leopard.

The Uzbek delegation also shared information on the use of modern technologies such as GPS tracking and camera traps to monitor the snow leopard population in Uzbekistan. According to expert estimates, the population of this rare predator in the country exceeds 100 individuals.

During the presentation, participants were also reminded of the adoption of the Samarkand Resolution on Snow Leopard Protection, which was signed during the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in February 2024. Furthermore, delegates were invited to the upcoming 20th Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the CITES Convention, which will be held in Samarkand at the end of 2025.

The conference concluded with the adoption of the Kazan Resolution, aimed at strengthening international cooperation in snow leopard conservation and enhancing collaboration between scientific and public organizations, government agencies, and the business community.