More room to roam for protected flocks of Marco Polo sheep

URUMQI - Chinese researchers have identified several potential ecological corridors of Marco Polo sheep, a subspecies of argali sheep, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Led by Yang Weikang, a researcher with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team has identified potential areas of habitat for the sheep to circulate in Tashikurgan wildlife nature reserve. They spent three years carrying out field observation and analyzing data.

The research can potentially moderate some of the negative effects of habitat fragmentation and reduce the risk of extinction caused by inbreeding and the loss of genetic diversity, according to scientists.

Marco Polo sheep mainly roam in the juncture areas on the Pamirs with an elevation of 3,500 to 5,000 meters. The region is adjacent to the borders of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

The sheep are named after the Italian explorer Marco Polo, who discovered the argali in Xinjiang when he arrived in China traversing the Pamirs more than 700 years ago.

Their habitats got divided into smaller, isolated patches due to factors ranging from global climate change to human activities over the past century.

Marco Polo sheep are under State-level protection in China. It led to the creation of the Tashikurgan wildlife nature reserve, which is dedicated to the sheep's protection since 1984.

The number of these sheep in China has grown to around 3,000, making up 15 percent of the world's total.

"In recent years, the government has strengthened efforts to return farmland to forests or grassland, close all mining companies and restore the damaged environment in the nature reserve," Yang said.

China has also launched a cross-border project with its neighbors to protect Marco Polo sheep.

In May, a seminar on the sheep's cross-border protection was held in Xinjiang. Scientists from China and neighboring countries gathered to discuss the international exchange and cooperation on the species' conservation, management and research.

"We will focus more on identifying cross-border corridors of Marco Polo sheep in the future to help connect fragmented habitats and reduce the risk of the species' extinction," Yang said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 07/04/2019 page17)