This project is the continuation of the research on Pallas’s cat in Kazakhstan – one of main countries of the species global range.

On the whole the work will contribute to Pallas’s cat conservation in Kazakhstan and increasing conservation priority of the species - for both governmental conservation bodies and national NGOs as well as for local communities. One of goals will be raising awareness of local people to Pallas’s cat conservation. For this we are planning to carry out workshop which will increase public and government awareness about Pallas’s cat status. The institutional result of this meeting will be establishing the national working group on Pallas’s cat in Kazakhstan. During interviewing local people it’s planned to conduct educational campaign – to tell about Pallas’s cat rarity and necessity of its conservation. Also we plan to carry out art contest among school children.

In the frames of the project it is proposed to make thorough research in the eastern part of Central-Kazakhstan Upland (west districts of East-Kazakhstan Province and east parts of Karaganda Province). This area is proposed to be mostly important for Pallas’s cat living in Kazakhstan.

We are planning to obtain new data on Pallas’s cat in order to precise species distribution and abundance in the area investigated. For this we’ll use camera trapping, interviewing local people and snow-tracking censuses. We suppose to organize pilot snow-tracking census on the base of existent protected area and to make survey in some new areas not investigated previously (particularly Betpak-Dala desert, Zaissan Lake area or Tarbagatai Mountains).

One of project’s goals is forming grounds for creation of protected area which could conserve important Pallas’s cat habitats in the Eastern Kazakhstan. The places of high conservation value will be outlined by the research results and there will be made necessary agreements with corresponding bodies.

One of project’s goals is to involve more wildlife researchers to Pallas’s cat conservation. Project will be conducted with collaboration of local governmental and non-profit conservation organizations.