Environmental officials in Tajikistan's Badakhshan Province have told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that the moratorium on hunting Marco Polo sheep is impeding local ecological projects.
The two-year moratorium was introduced on January 1.
According to environmental officials, hunting for the very rare animal has been a major source of revenue in the region and has allowed it to develop the local infrastructure and support environmental protection projects.
According to official data, there are some 12,000 Marco Polo sheep in Badakhshan.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, some 40,000 Marco Polo sheep lived in the high mountains of Badakhshan.
-- Tajik Service
The two-year moratorium was introduced on January 1.
According to environmental officials, hunting for the very rare animal has been a major source of revenue in the region and has allowed it to develop the local infrastructure and support environmental protection projects.
According to official data, there are some 12,000 Marco Polo sheep in Badakhshan.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, some 40,000 Marco Polo sheep lived in the high mountains of Badakhshan.
-- Tajik Service