Rehabilitation of Bukharan markhor Capra falconeri heptneri Zalkin, 1945 numbers in Uzbekistan

During the first half of the twentieth century, Bukharan markhor (Capra falconeri heptneri Zalkin, 1945) experienced a pronounced population decline in Uzbekistan, creating an urgent need for the establishment of specially protected areas to conserve and restore the species. Currently, the Surkhan State Nature Reserve (Uzbekistan) and the Koytendag (Kugitang) State Nature Reserve (Turkmenistan) protect the main habitats on the Kugitang Ridge, while the ‘Surkhan’ hunting farm was established in the degraded parts of the ridge, where markhor was historically rare due to the continuous presence of livestock, human disturbance, and a depleted forage base. The objective of this study was to assess the role of the newly created hunting farm in the recovery of markhor numbers and habitat and to determine the current population status through systematic counts within the farm and adjacent territories. Seasonal monitoring conducted between 2019 and 2024 revealed a substantial and sustained increase in population. In the first year after the establishment (2019), approximately 30 individuals were recorded on the farm and 60 in the adjoining Tangiduval Gorge; these levels were maintained in 2020. At the beginning of 2021, the numbers within the hunting farm increased markedly to 52 markhors, with more than 100 individuals recorded in the Tangiduval sector. By 2022, the population continued to grow, reaching 82 individuals on the farm and 137 outside it. In early 2023, numbers had largely stabilized, with 146 markhors counted (50.0% on the farm, 50.0% in Tangiduval). By late 2023, the population reached 121 individuals on the farm and 140 in the adjacent area, yielding a total of 261 markhor for the study zone; this level was maintained until early 2024. During the study period, the markhor population within the hunting farm increased 4.5 times and that in the Tangiduval Gorge 2.7 times. Integrating these results with reserve data, the current markhor population on the Uzbek portion of the Kugitang Ridge is estimated at approximately 900 individuals, comprising more than 620 animals within the Surkhan State Nature Reserve and 260 in the hunting farm and its adjacent areas. The rapid recovery observed demonstrates that the implementation of targeted biotechnical and habitat management measures, combined with the restoration of the forage supply and the regulation of human disturbance, can stimulate significant population growth over a short period. These findings underscore the conservation value of well-managed hunting concessions as a complementary tool to strict protected areas for the recovery of threatened mountain ungulates.