Monitoring Brown Bears in Kazakhstan: A Pilot Study from the Altai Mountain Region

Monitoring populations of large carnivores that are often elusive and occur at low densities is intrinsically difficult. The challenges are often exacerbated in developing nations with less infrastructure or resources for wildlife surveys. In regions where little is known about wildlife populations, even basic information about the presence of large carnivores in a landscape is an important first step towards implementing sustainable management practices to promote co-existence with humans. Here, we conducted a first-ever pilot study in the Altai Mountain Region of Kazakhstan using camera traps to assess the presence of brown bear (Ursus arctos) and their primary prey species in the study region, and to better understand potential drivers of variation in activity. Between 2019 and 2023, we deployed 10 camera traps which collected data for a total of 4654 days. Bear activity varied seasonally; all activity occurred during the 'active season' with activity peaking in May/June. Camera traps also detected 13 other species including a range of potential ungulate prey and other carnivores. Our study was conducted at a relatively local scale, but represents a first step towards understanding the presence of brown bears and other mammals in a remote region of central Asia. There is currently limited scientific understanding of where bears occur in the Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan or the neighboring countries of China, Mongolia, and Russia. Our results are therefore useful for the adaptive management of brown bears at the local scale, and the lessons learned from our study can be used to scale up and optimize wildlife monitoring efforts by local managers and researchers in Kazakhstan.