Snow Leopard Habitats in Kazakhstan

The snow leopard habitats in mountains of Kazakhstan differ a high variety and riches of all natural components. The given areas include not less than 75% of a biodiversity of this located in Central Asia, rather droughty country. A variety of the nature is promoted by more favorable environmental conditions in the mountains, being original oases among hot deserts. High level of a biodiversity of a transboundary strip is a consequence of imposing of areas typically southern (Himalaya-Tian-Shan) and northern (Siberian) species, both animals, and plants of Asia. Their moving stops mountain ridges on the one hand and hot deserts - with another, therefore the area of the raised biodiversity coincides with interstate borders of the countries within an area of a snow leopard. All habitats of a snow leopard are in Kazakhstan on water separate ridges where faunae and florae of various regions mix up, strengthening each other and forming areas of an exclusive biodiversity. Therefore mountains: Tien Shan, Dzungarian Alatau and Altai where snow leopards live, often name «geographical crossroads».

Photo: The Snow leopard typical habitats in Dzshungarian Alatau. Kora gorge

Irbis lives in high mountains among rocks, light forests, subalpine and the alpine meadows where wild goats or arkhars are grazed and there are colonies of marmots. In other biotops, for example in fur-tree wood of this animal it is possible to meet only in the winter. In Kazakhstan meetings with snow leopard in a wood belt are marked regularly. This tendency takes place in Zailijsky and Dzungarian Alatau, and in Altai, there, where among wood there are exits of rocks. Rocky landscapes with their thin soil cover do high-mountainous ecosystems наи­более fragile among other landscapes and demand more attention in respect of their conservation. Despite a subtlety of a soil layer, the Alpine meadows possess the big variability and riches of flora.

In high mountains all largest rivers of Asia originate from the largest glaciers. Almost all largest rivers of Kazakhstan feeding with water of a valley where are concentrated main weights of the population, agricultural grounds and industrial activity, also have sources in habitats of a snow leopard or in own limits, or in the next states. It is one more argument in favour of preservation of irbis habitats.

Photo: Habitats of the Snow leopard in the Kazakhstan part of Altai. View from the Tarbagataj on the South Altai ridge

The ecological factors promoting irbis conservation

The snow leopard in Kazakhstan meets only in mountain districts, and more often in the most remote and wild areas from 500 (during winter time) to 4500 (and above) metres above sea level. Basically it is the areas adjoining to frontier with 4 countries: China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan. High mountains are characterised by the extremely difficult relief with abrupt snow-covered slopes, an abundance of peaked rocks, stony taluses, and deep precipices. Such landscapes possess raised village - and лавиноопасностью, therefore are a little visited by people. It is promoted also by the extremely extreme climate with the big difference of daily temperatures (with constantly low night temperatures), fluctuations of the atmospheric pressure, leading to sharp change of weather with strong winds and plentiful snowfalls. These natural factors, the steels, as a matter of fact the most important obstacle in a way of full snow leopard destruction in the nature. Other large cats of Kazakhstan, such as the Asian cheetah and tiger, living in more accessible districts completely have been exterminated even before creation of Red Books and the vigorous activity of the international nature protection organisations. And though the snow leopard always used the raised demand as an exhibit of zoos and as the valuable fur animal on which hunted even in reserves and which skins were on sale at fur auctions, nevertheless, has survived thanks to extreme inaccessibility of habitats. On rather low and readily available ridge of Karatau (Syr-Darya) Irbis has disappeared already to middle of XX-th century.