Project on the Establishment of PamirAlai Transboundary Conservation Area between Kyrgyzstan and Taj

1
Project on the Establishment of Pamir-Alai
Transboundary Conservation Area between
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (PATCA Project)

• Introduction to Baseline Studies
• May 2007
• Martyn Murray, Biodiversity Conservation Expert
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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Outline of Workshop

• Day 1 (a) Selecting what to survey
• (b) Some survey tools
• - rapid survey methods (Aidan
  Maccormick)
  
• - biodiversity information systems (David
  Baird)
  
• Day 2 (a) Designing a baseline survey system
  for PATCA
  
• (open sessions)
• (b) Reporting requirements
• Day 3 Development of Protocols detailed plans
  
  
• for surveying each taxonomic group
• Day 4 (a) Handover of Protocols
• (b) Conclusions

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Selecting What to Survey

• The overall objective of PATCA is
• Improved transboundary biodiversity protection in
  
  
• Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
• As part of this objective the project will
  provide
  
• Surveys of baseline information
• Analysis of threats to the biological and
  cultural landscapes.
  

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Surveys of Baseline Information

• Typically, they comprise
• Physical description and mapping geological
  and geographic features
  
• Biodiversity Assessment
• Socio-Economic Surveys
• Audit of cultural heritage (archaeological sites,
  ancient monuments, historic buildings, and living
  heritage)
  

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Purpose of Baseline Information

• Baseline surveys should be designed to assist
  management they should provide information on
  the status of important species, the presence of
  conservation threats and their impact in the
  ecosystem.

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What to Survey (1/4)

• Survey work is time consuming. In conducting a
  biodiversity assessment, we need to select from a
  wide variety of organisms present. Before we can
  decide on our survey methods, we have to choose
• which of the major taxa we will survey
• what level of identification will be sufficient
  order, family, genus, species, population size,
  or sex and age classes within populations.

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What to Survey (2/4)

• Some protected areas have simple inventories of
  
  
• trees, mammals and birds
• Other protected areas have more comprehensive
  inventories of
  
• vascular plants, reptiles, amphibians and fish
• Invertebrates are a challenge, often only a few
  showy groups are surveyed, such as
  
• Butterflies and dragonflies.
• Insects may be identified to family level, plants
  to species level and Marco Polo sheep to the
  level of sex and age classes.
  
• What level should we choose?

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What to Survey (3/4)

• Summarizing so far, in Conservation Projects we
  need
  
• A basic description of what is present, and
• Emphasis on taxa that are
• threatened,
• unique or otherwise important for conservation.

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What to Survey (4/4)

• The same priorities apply to Socio-Economic
  Surveys.
  
• We need
• Basic information about people and their way of
  life, and
  
• Data on activities or behaviours that threaten or
  protect biodiversity.
  

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Classification of Biodiversity Information

• To help us design the PATCA Baseline Surveys, it
  is useful to tabulate the kind of information
  that is useful to Conservation Planners

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Information on Species (1/7)

• KEY DATA FIELDS
• UNIQUENESS
• HABITATS
• POPULATION STATUS
• USES VALUES
• THREATS
• AS INDICATORS

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Information on Species (2/7)

• UNIQUENESS
• local endemic
• regional endemic
• widespread
• living fossil

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Information on Species (3/7)

• HABITATS
• nival
• rocks
• alpine
• mid-montane
• etc.

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Information on Species (4/7)

• POPULATION STATUS
• common
• rare
• listed (e.g. endangered)
• summer visitor
• etc.

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Information on Species (5/7)

• USES VALUES
• trophy animal
• various animal products
• medicinal plant
• herb or wild food plant
• ornamental plant
• charismatic species (tourist value)
• importance in traditional belief system
• flagship or umbrella species
• keystone species
• wild relative of domestic plant
• other genetic importance

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Information on Species (6/7)

• THREATS
• local hunting
• commercial hunting
• collecting for local use (e.g. herbs)
• collecting for trade (e.g. bulbs, falcons)
• grazing pressure on regeneration of woody
  species
  
• cutting for fuelwood
• etc.

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Information on Species (7/7)

• AS INDICATORS OF HEALTH OR QUALITY
• health of habitat (e.g. diatoms for water
  quality)
  
• health of biota (e.g. fish populations by otter
  population)
  
• AS INDICATORS OF HUMAN USE
• hunting pressure or disturbance to wildlife
• grazing pressure (Artemisia?)
• previous inhabitation
• plant collecting
• These indicators will be used in monitoring by
  Park Authorities

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Socio-Economic SurveyInformation on Resources

• Pastures
• Timber fuelwood
• Medicinal plants and herbs
• Ornamental plants
• Trophy animals
• Animal products
• Fish
• Touristic resources

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Information on Environmental Services Provided by
Protected Area

• LAND SOIL STABILISATION
• WATER SUPPLY (glaciers as reservoirs wetlands
  slow the release of water)
  
• WATER PURIFICATION
• RECREATION

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Conclusion

• What we survey is determined by management
  objectives
  
• We choose plant and animal taxa that have
• economic importance (to the local economy or
  for commercial gain),
  
• biological uniqueness,
• rarity value,
• ecological importance,
• aesthetic or cultural importance, or are
• indicators of habitat health or of threats to
  conservation.

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