Why Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Natural Resources counts marmots: An interview on the animals' role in the ecosystem

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision has begun releasing detailed population data for marmots in various regions. The figures, such as 41,286 in Issyk-Kul Oblast, 32,327 in Jalal-Abad Oblast, and 4,146 in Batken Oblast, are used for monitoring the species' health and planning conservation efforts.

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The census of marmot populations is necessary because this species has both positive and certain negative significance for the ecosystem.

Kylchbek Tentimishev, head of the Issyk-Kul regional department of the ministry, explained the importance of these counts. Marmots serve as a vital food source for predators like golden eagles, wolves, foxes, lynx, and snow leopards, thus helping to maintain natural ecological balance. However, marmots can also be natural carriers of the plague pathogen. Therefore, monitoring their numbers and condition is essential not only for biodiversity conservation but also for sanitary-epidemiological control and timely preventive measures in infection hotspots.

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On the one hand, marmots are an important food base for wild predators. Golden eagles, wolves, foxes, lynx feed on them, and in high-mountainous regions, marmots are also part of the snow leopard's diet.

Tentimishev addressed the public's surprise at the precision of the numbers, clarifying that individual counting is not feasible. Instead, the ministry employs two primary methods: sample plots, suitable for flat terrain, and visual observation, which is more common in Kyrgyzstan's mountainous landscape. Specialists observe marmot habitats during early morning and evening hours when the animals are most active. They record the number of observed individuals and then apply a special correction coefficient to estimate the total population.

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On the other hand, marmots can be natural carriers of the plague pathogen.