Chairman of Dushanbe Rustam Emomali became the first laureate of the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) award for Argali Conservation Achievement — the wild Marco Polo sheep from Tajikistan. This was stated today at a press conference by the Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection Bahodur Sheralizoda.

Sheralizoda noted that in 2022, the WSF established an award for achievements in the conservation of Marco Polo wild mountain sheep. The first recipient of this award, announced at this past Sheep Week convention in Reno, Nevada is Emomali.

The prize is awarded to recognize the merit of a person or organization that has made a significant contribution to the conservation of mountain sheep.

According to the conditions for receiving the award, the laureate must be a citizen of one of the countries of the range of wild mountain sheep and make a significant contribution to the conservation of the species.

Currently, at least 25,000 Marco Polo mountain sheep and 4,000 markhor goats are in Tajikistan.

One of the initiatives of Emomali is regulation of the provisions of the CITES Convention in Tajikistan, which made it possible to establish a sustainable trade in wild animals with the EU, US and Canada. Accession to this convention has significantly reduced the uncontrolled and illegal circulation of rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

Based in the US, the WSF was founded in 1977 by wild sheep conservationists and enthusiasts. WSF has over 8,500 members worldwide and is a leader in the protection of wild sheep and other mountain wildlife.