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Revisiting the Conservation Challenges of Wild Argali (Ovis ammon ammon L.) in the Altai Mountain-Steppe under Climate and Anthropogenic Pressures

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Revisiting the Conservation Challenges of Wild Argali (Ovis ammon ammon L.) in the Altai Mountain-Steppe under Climate and Anthropogenic Pressures

Author Information
1
Sailugemsky National Park, Sailugemskaya Street, Kosh-Agach 649780, Russia
2
Botany Department, Tomsk State University, 36 Lenin Pr., Tomsk 634050, Russia
3
Biological Institute, Tomsk State University, 36 Lenin Pr., Tomsk 634050, Russia (on hold)
4
School of Bioscience, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Alfred Denny Building, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 30 October 2025 Revised: 19 November 2025 Accepted: 15 December 2025 Published: 24 December 2025

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© 2025 The authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Ecol. Divers. 2025, 2(4), 10015; DOI: 10.70322/ecoldivers.2025.10015
ABSTRACT: The high-mountain steppes of South-eastern Altai are a valuable resource for pastoralism—almost the only possible type of economic activity in these places—and the conservation of near threatened species, such as the argali. Argali are the largest and most vulnerable wild sheep (Ovis ammon ammon L.), and are listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and on the IUCN Red List. The argali is also important in the food chain of another rare and protected species, the snow leopard. This paper presents the results of research into the productivity of argali’s high-mountain steppes habitation in various parts of the Sailugem Ridge, and assesses their pasture degradation. We predict how observed declining pasture productivity due to anthropogenic and climate pressure, as well as argali grazing, will threaten their survival. We propose special measures to reduce the impact of the argali population on the degradation of current pastures, while improving argali conservation in other areas of South-eastern Altai and adjacent territories where the species previously existed.
Keywords: Altai Mountains; Ovis ammon ammon; Argali; Steppe vegetation; Pasture degradation; Climate change; Conservation strategy
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