The Ministry of Natural Resources in Kyrgyzstan has introduced a draft resolution to raise fines for illegal hunting activities involving certain species of animals, including those listed in the Red Book. The draft resolution is now open for public discussion.
The main objectives of the project are to decrease violations of environmental laws (poaching), enforce a consistent state policy for the protection, reproduction, and sustainable use of wildlife, and safeguard the population and their habitats.
In determining the new fine amounts, factors such as the value of wild species, their conservation status, and the rates for utilizing wildlife resources were considered. The fines will be used as the basis for penalties for the illegal shooting or killing of an individual animal, irrespective of its gender or age.
The Ministry has announced that fines for illegal hunting activities or causing the death of wild animals, including those in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic and the list of hunting and other species officially traded on the legal market, have been raised to two to four times their market value.
Illegal hunting activities by poachers commonly target species like the snow leopard, argali sheep, Central Asian otter, and gray monitor lizard, all of which are in the Red Book.
The Ministry suggests increasing fines for shooting a snow leopard to 2 million soms (up from 1.5 million), and for species like argali sheep, brown bear, noble deer, and goitered gazelle to 1.5 million soms (previously 1 million).
For non-Red Book species such as ibex, the fine is proposed to triple to 300,000 soms, and for roe deer, it will double to 100,000 soms.
