Georgiy Shakula
Other projects
Menzbieri Marmot (Marmota menzbieri) is listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Red Data book. It occurs in Western Tien-Shan only: on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Number is declining due of illegal hunting. The research should provide the information of current distribution and scientific aspects of the rarest representative of the Rodents fauna.
The work is going to achieve the systematic status of Menzbieri Marmot understanding based on the survey of species native area, habitats and behavior. The collected in scientific expeditions data will be added to the "Marmots of Central Asia" monography materials. I am going to visit Menzbieri Marmot habitats - modern and former - to outline the borders of the species area in 4 Central Asian Countries. I hope to attract the local authorities and communities’ attention to Menzbieri Marmot conservation issues.
Baby Menzbieri Marmot.
The 2018-2019 field seasons work is planned as a continuation of first and second RSG research. The main subjects of the project are:
1. Visit all the remote sites in Central Asian Countries and confirm or not the species presence in the modern time.
2. Learn Menzbieri Marmot behaviour as less known part of the species biology. I have got 13 camera traps with SD-cards at the moment. I plan to use the scheme to set all of them up in one colony (next to the entrance to a hole, on a path, on pastures, etc.) for 1-2 days/nights and then move them to the other colony. I hope to see not only reflection of marmot’s behaviour and day activity, but their predators as well. Using video-type mode of my camera and Dictaphone I will have the records of animal’s sounds from different families/subspecies/species.
3. Achieve the systematic status of Menzbieri Marmot population in Kazakhstan understanding based on the research of species native area, habitats and behavior
I have chosen not invasive methods/techniques do not jeopardize the vulnerable population of a rare species. The main methods are animal’s watching in natural environmental, chronometry, camera trapping, photo, video and sounds recording.
The project reports materials will be submitted for:
*The Menzbieri Marmot chapter in the "Marmots of Central Asia" monography,
*Proceedings of the "Rufford Foundation for Biodiversity Research and Conservation in Central Asia". It will hold on 16-17 of March 2019 in Kazakhstan,
*The final report to the Rufford Small Grants Fund,
*Proceedings of XII International Conference on Marmots of experts of the former Soviet Union (in Russian). It will take place in 2020 in Russia.