Sustainable trophy hunting and the conservation of alpine ungulates in Pakistan

Abstract

Alpine ungulates are ubiquitous in Northern Pakistan but have declined in numbers in recent decades, possibly because of poaching and habitat degradation by livestock. Experience suggests that the most pragmatic way of achieving sustainable management of wild Caprinae is through a community-based trophy hunting programme. Since the early 1990s, the Bar Valley has been the focus of a project designed to conserve its ibex population using high-priced trophy hunting to generate funds for local development. In 2000, an audit of the project was undertaken to determine its effects on ibex and benefits for local people. Ibex survey data were retrospectively analyzed to determine density and productivity indices for each year. A survey of Bar Valley households was also conducted to obtain both historical and contemporary views on the project's function and effectiveness. The survey was repeated in the adjacent Naltar Valley, where there has been no similar project. The Bar Valley ibex population has remained relatively stable over the past decade, whilst that of Naltar and other valleys has all but disappeared.