Significance of Protected Areas for the Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul: Felidae) Conservation in Russia

Abstract

The Pallas's cat, or Manul, Otocolobus manul, belongs to the small felines. In Russia this species is located at the northern periphery of its range. Potential habitats of this species within its Russian range's part have been highlighted on the base of remote sensing data, topographic maps and digital cartographic models. Maps of the Pallas's cat's records in Russia have been compiled using literature data, authors' own data and information provided by contributors of the online database «Small Wild Сats of Eurasia». We have shown the representation of potential habitats of the Pallas's cat and its actual registrations within Protected Areas of Russia. The total area of potential habitats for this species in Russia is assessed as 145,150 km2. The presence of Manul is confirmed for five regions of Russia: Republic of Altai, Republic of Tyva, Republic of Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Trans-Baikal Krai. The registration of the species' records mainly corresponds to the location of its potential habitats. The main categories of both federal and regional Russian Protected Areas cover 10.8% (13.5% taken with the buffer zones) of the total area of potential habitats for the Pallas's cat. The significance of each Protected Area for Manul conservation has been considered in detail. We have discussed whether the representativeness of the existing Protected Areas is sufficient for conservation of this species. We have identified the main territorial gaps that reduce the Pallas's cat protection in some parts of the Russian range.

Full text

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SIGNIFICANCE OF PROTECTED AREAS FOR THE PALLAS’S CAT
(OTOCOLOBUS MANUL: FELIDAE) CONSERVATION IN RUSSIA
Anna N. Barashkova1, Vadim E. Kirilyuk2, Ilya E. Smelansky1
1Sibecocenter, Russia
2Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Russia
e-mail: yazula@yandex.ru
Received: 12.04.2017
The Pallas’s cat, or Manul, Otocolobus manul, belongs to the small felines. In Russia this species is located at the
northern periphery of its range. Potential habitats of this species within its Russian range’s part have been high-
lighted on the base of remote sensing data, topographic maps and digital cartographic models. Maps of the Pallas’s
cat’s records in Russia have been compiled using literature data, authors’ own data and information provided by
contributors of the online database «Small Wild Сats of Eurasia». We have shown the representation of potential
habitats of the Pallas’s cat and its actual registrations within Protected Areas of Russia. The total area of potential
habitats for this species in Russia is assessed as 145,150 km2. The presence of Manul is conrmed for ve regions
of Russia: Republic of Altai, Republic of Tyva, Republic of Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Trans-Baikal Krai. The
registration of the species’ records mainly corresponds to the location of its potential habitats. The main categories
of both federal and regional Russian Protected Areas cover 10.8% (13.5% taken with the buffer zones) of the total
area of potential habitats for the Pallas’s cat. The signicance of each Protected Area for Manul conservation has
been considered in detail. We have discussed whether the representativeness of the existing Protected Areas is
sufcient for conservation of this species. We have identied the main territorial gaps that reduce the Pallas’s cat
protection in some parts of the Russian range.
Key words: distribution, online database, Otocolobus manul, Pallas’s cat, potential habitats, Protected Areas,
territorial protection, territorial protection gaps
Introduction
The Pallas’s сat or Manul, Otocolobus manul
Pallas, 1776, belongs to the small cats (Fig. 1). In
Russia this species is located at the northern pe-
riphery of its global range and associated mainly
with mountain-steppe areas along the border with
Mongolia. There the species inhabits the steppes of
the Central Asian type. These occupy more or less
extensive areas in South Siberia from the South-
east Altai to Dauria (Gadghiev et al., 2000).
General aridity and coincidence of most part
of precipitation to the summer period are typi-
cal for the climatic conditions of this region. As
a consequence, while the severity and relatively
long duration are typical for the winter period,
the snow cover is usually shallow or it may be ab-
sent in some places (especially in Dauria) during
most of the winter period. Shallow snow cover is
a crucially important circumstance for Pallas’s cats
(Kirilyuk & Puzansky, 2000).
The Manul is considered as a naturally rare
species. In the XX century the species was im-
pacted by the signicant reduction of the area of
suitable habitats due to agricultural development.
In the same period the global population number
had decreased, in particular as a result of massive
pesticides use. The Manul is listed on the IUCN
Red List as Near Threatened (Ross et al., 2016).
Also it is listed in the Red Data Book of the Rus-
sian Federation (2001) and the Red Data Books
of all ve Russian provinces where it is reliably
known: Republic of Altai (2007), Republic of Tyva
(2002), Republic of Buryatia (2013), Krasnoyarsk
Krai (2012), and Trans-Baikal Krai (2012).
One of the main ways to implement the con-
servation status of the Pallas’s cat is its providing
by territorial protection (along with the prohibition
of hunting and its derivatives trafcking). It is nec-
essary to assess the level of the species’ protection
within the Protected Areas to judge the effective-
ness of the species’ conservation and to plan fur-
ther conservation efforts.
Until 1978, the Pallas’s cat was an object of
hunting. Its abundance and distribution could be
judged by the massive data on harvested skins.
Since its inclusion in the Red Data Book of the
USSR (1978, 1984), the Pallas’s cat’s hunting
was banned completely. Obviously, this effort has
reduced the anthropogenic pressure on the spe-
cies. But this also has interrupted the receipt of
data which were the base for the estimation of the
abundance and distribution of this rare species.
At the same time, very few studies on the Pallas’s
cat have been carried out in Russia until the last
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114
decade. Most of them were conducted in limited
areas. Monitoring studies were conducted in the
Daursky Reserve. Nutrition and behaviour of this
rare species were studied (Kirilyuk, 1999; Kirily-
uk & Puzansky, 2000). In the Republic of Tyva,
counts of the Manul were conducted several times
in the framework of the creation of the rare ani-
mal species cadastre and to clarify the catch quotas
of animals for zoos (Barashkova, 2005; Report on
scientic work, 2006). The Laboratory of Ecol-
ogy and Systematics of Animals of the Institute of
General and Experimental Biology of the Siberian
Branch of RAS has also conducted several win-
ter surveys in Buryatia (Borisova, personal com-
munication). In the late 1980s – early 1990s, the
Central Research Laboratory of the Main Hunting
Agency organised a questionnaire survey. Accord-
ing to its results, expert estimates of the abundance
of the Pallas’s cat in the regions were conducted.
These data were included in the rst edition of the
Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2001).
Barashkova (2005) carried out the overview of the
Manul population status and the state of knowledge
on this species in Russia. In subsequent years, the
distribution and abundance of the Pallas’s cat in
Russia are systematically studied in the framework
of a long-term project of the Sibecocenter in co-
operation with the Daursky Reserve, the Uvs Nuur
Basin (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina) Reserve and the
Sailugem National Park. Some reserves and na-
tional parks have established the monitoring stud-
ies of abundance and occurrence frequency of the
Pallas’s cat using the method of winter snow track
census and the systematic installation of camera
traps. In recent years the A.N. Severtsov Institute
of Ecology and Evolution of RAS, in co-operation
with the Daursky Reserve, have begun studies on
the diseases of the Pallas’s cat (Naidenko et al.,
2014; Pavlova et al., 2015).
Material and Methods
The map of potential habitats of the Pallas’s cat
was prepared using the GIS software (ArcView 3.3,
ArcGIS 9.3, ESRI, CA, USA) on the base of the
topographic map (scale 1:200,000) with clarica-
tion of the terrain pattern using satellite imagery
(Landsat), landscape map, digital terrain model tak-
ing into account the survey results, literature data
and other information about the species’ habitats.
Additionally, we used our own data obtained during
eld studies of the Manul (winter track counts, col-
lection of interview data) in the Republic of Altai,
Republic of Tyva, Republic of Buryatia, Trans-Bai-
kal Krai in 1994–2017, and unpublished data from
the online database «Small Wild Cats of Eurasia»
(Barashkova et al., 2017).
Fig. 1. Pallas’s cat captured by a camera trap in the valley of the river Chagan-Uzun (Republic of Altai) in 2014.
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115
As potential habitats of the Pallas’s cat, we have
taken various mountain-steppe and steppe ecosys-
tems in Russian part of the species’ range. Among
them there are high-mountain cryophytic steppes
and steppe shrubs thickets, intrazonal biotopes lo-
cated in steppe zone and in steppe belts of high-
mountain systems: rock outcrops and screes, ood-
plain tree-shrub complexes, island pine and larch
forests. Based on this map, we have determined the
area of potential habitats for the Pallas’s cat for each
region of Russia and their total area in Russia.
We have combined the obtained map of po-
tential habitats with the digital map (GIS lay-
er) of Protected Areas in Russia (Kalikhman et
al., 2012; Map of remained steppe ecosystems
(steppe massifs) of Russia, 2017; Map of Pro-
tected Areas of Russian Federation, 2017). We
have accounted all Protected Areas types of fe-
deral and regional signicance, except for nature
monuments and botanical gardens, because their
total area is relatively small. Table 1 presents the
main characteristics of Protected Areas in the
regions where the Manul is known. These data
are presented according to regional state reports
on the environment state for 2015 (The report,
2016a,b; The state report, 2016a,b,c).
Through superimposing GIS-layers, we ob-
tained the intersection of Protected Areas contours
with the contours of potential habitats of the Pal-
las’s cat. Thus, we have determined the potential
habitat’s areas located within the boundaries of
Protected Areas. On the basis of these parameters,
we have counted: a) percentage of the area of po-
tentially suitable habitats for the Pallas’s cat within
each concrete Protected Area; b) percentage of po-
tential habitats’ area located within Protected Ar-
eas for each region.
Undoubtedly, the Pallas’s cat uses the habi-
tats within the range with different intensity. So,
previously, key areas and habitats of the Pallas’s
cat supporting existence of its population were
identied for some territories within structure of
species’ habitats (Barashkova et al., 2010; Kiri-
lyuk & Barashkova, 2011; Barashkova, 2012).
In this article, we consider the potential habitats
of the Pallas’s cat without taking into account
their ecological heterogeneity and actual inhabi-
tation by animals.
Calculations were conducted using the software
MS Excel 2003 and PAST 3.14 (Hammer et al., 2001).
Results and Discussion
The Pallas’s cat is reliably known in ve re-
gions of Russia: Republic of Altai, Republic of
Tyva, Republic of Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and
Trans-Baikal Krai. The Protected Areas networks
are more or less well-developed in these regions.
It includes Protected Areas of different types and
levels. Taken together, 120 Protected Areas were
known in these regions at the beginning of 2016
(latest available ofcial data). Among them are 29
Protected Areas of federal signicance (state na-
ture reserves, national parks, and federal wildlife
sanctuaries) and 91 Protected Areas of regional
signicance (nature parks and regional wildlife
sanctuaries) (Table 1).
According to our estimation, the total area of
potential habitats for the Pallas’s cat in the ve
abovementioned regions of Russia is 145,150 km2
(Fig. 2, Table 2). The largest areas of potential habi-
tats for the Pallas’s cat are presented in Trans-Baikal
Krai and Tyva (Table 2). The smallest ones are in
Krasnoyarsk where these are limited by small tract
in Sayan highlands, near the border with Tyva.
Table 1. Main characteristics of the Protected Areas in the regions of Russia where the Pallas’s cat is known
Regions of Russia Region area,
km2
Number of Protected Areas (federal sig-
nicance / regional signicance)*
Protected Areas in
total, km2 **
Percentage of Protected Areas
of total area of a region, %
Republic of Altai 92903 9 (3 / 6) 23116.8 24.88
Republic of Tyva 168604 17 (2 / 15) 19246.65
(26166.03)
11.41
(15.52)
Krasnoyarsk Krai*** 723700 42 (5 / 37) 144240.57
(172938.58)
19.93
(23.90)
Republic of Buryatia 351334 20 (8 / 12) 31099.62 8.85
Trans-Baikal Krai 431892 24 (6 / 18) 25527.37
(30173.34)
5.91
(6.99)
TOTAL: 4186376 120 (29 / 91) 269434.06
(305051.45)
6.44
(7.29)
* Except nature monuments and botanical gardens.
** In brackets the Protected Areas are taken with their buffer zones.
*** All the data on the region are without Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous District and Evenkia Autonomous District.
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116
Fig. 2. Potential habitats for the Pallas’s сat within its species range in Russia: (1) Altai-Sayan part, (2) Baikal part, (3)
Trans-Baikal part.
Table 2. Area of potential habitats for the Pallas’s сat and representativeness in the Protected Areas of Russia
Region
Area of potential
habitats for the
Pallas’s сat, km2
Percentage of potential
habitats for the Pallas’s
сat located within federal
Protected Areas, %*
Percentage of potential
habitats for the Pallas’s
сat located within region-at located within region-
al Protected Areas, %
Percentage of potential
habitats for the Pallas’s
сat located within all
Protected Areas, % *
Republic of Altai 16,000 9.2 16.7 25.9
Republic of Tyva 37,800 1.4 (6.7) 2.9 4.3 (9.6)
Krasnoyarsk Krai 350 57.1 0 57.1
Republic of Buryatia 28,900 17.2 3.1 20.3
Trans-Baikal Krai 62,100 4.2 (7.9) 2.0 6.2 (9.9)
TOTAL: 145,150 6.7 (9.5) 4.1 10.8 (13.5)
* data in brackets are the percentage of potential habitats for the Pallas’s сat as the Protected Areas are taken with their
buffer zones (if any exist).
Due to the wide use of camera traps, it is now
known that the Pallas’s сat uses a wider habitat
range than previously assumed. Hence, the actual
Manul distribution in Russia is somewhat wider
than it is shown on our map of potential habitats.
This is evidenced by the compactly placed points
of the Pallas’s cat registration outside the high-
lighted area. However, the vast majority of this
species’ meetings are indeed conned to the identi-
ed potential habitats (Fig. 3, 4, 5).
As Table 2 shows the percentage of potential
habitats for the Pallas’s cat located within federal
Protected Areas is signicantly different depend-
ing on the province. The gure ranges from slightly
more than 4% (about 10% taking into account areas
of buffer zones too) to more than 57%. Naturally,
the coverage of manul’s habitats by Protected Ar-
eas will be higher if the absolute area of Manul’s
habitats in the region will be less. There is a strong
negative correlation between these measures (r =
-0.87, p<0.9). A comparison between regions with
the highest area of potential habitats located within
the Protected Areas (Altai, Krasnoyarsk, and Burya-
tia) shows that the regional Protected Areas (espe-
cially the Ukok Quiet Zone Nature Park – see Table
3) make the main contribution to the overall protec-
tion of potential habitats of the Pallas’s cat in the
Republic of Altai while federal ones in the other
two regions. For example, 100% of all its habitats
located within Protected Areas are situated within
the Sayano-Shushensky Reserve in the Krasnoyarsk
Krai (Table 3). The situation for each Protected Area
or its specic site is presented in Table 3.
Below we characterise the representation and
protection level of potential habitats of the Pallas’s
cat, the species’ actual distribution, and the state of
its study in each of the ve regions where the spe-
cies is known.
Republic of Altai
In this region the total area of potential habitats
for the Pallas’s cat has been estimated at 16,000
km2 (Table 2, Fig. 3). The Pallas’s cat’s distribu-
tion is mostly studied in the foothills of mountain
ranges bordering the Chuya hollow. Special studies
(winter track transects and interview surveys) were
conducted on the Sailugem and Kuraisky ridges in
2006 and 2009 (Naidenko et al., 2007; Barashkova
et al., 2010; Barashkova & Smelansky, 2011). The
Sailugem ridge was recognised as a population
hotspot for the Pallas’s cat, where the maximum
population density of this species has been regis-
tered (up to 1.96 individuals per 10 km2). The total
abundance of the Manul in Altai has been assessed
at 650–680 individuals (Barashkova et al., 2010).
Since 2012, some new data on the Pallas’s cat have
been obtained through the camera traps usage, spe-
cically in the valleys of Chagan-Uzun, Ulandryk,
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117
and Bolshie Shibety, the foothills of Chikhachev’s
ridge, and the Talduair mountain massif (Barash-
kova & Smelansky, 2016). The Altai Anti-Plague
Station working in these areas also regularly re-
corded the Pallas’s cat (Denisov et al., 2015). By
the use of camera traps to study the Snow Leopard
in the highlands, it was found that the Pallas’s cat
is wider distributed in the region than it has been
assumed earlier. So, this cat was repeatedly record-
ed by camera traps on the Chikhachev’s ridge at
altitudes of about 3000 m above sea level and in
the Argut river basin (Spitsyn, 2017), where this
species had not been known previously. The Ukok
Plateau and the southern parts of the Shapshalsky
and Chulyshmansky ridges remain to be the least
studied areas in the region. It is not completely
clear how the Pallas’s cat is distributed in the Argut
river basin and in the Kurai hollow. Apparently, the
knowledge about the distribution area of the Pal-
las’s cat in the Altai will change signicantly if
new information becomes available.
Potential habitats of the Pallas’s cat in the re-
gion are represented by two federal Protected Areas,
Sailugem National Park and Altai State Biosphere
Reserve (Table 3). The species’ presence has been
recently conrmed in the Argut site within the Sailu-
gem NP (Spitsyn, 2017). The Pallas’s cat has been
recorded every year in the Sailugem and Ulandryk
sites located on the Sailugem ridge. However, the
species key habitats have not been included in the
national park boundaries. The Pallas’s cat’s inhabi-
tation in the Altai Reserve has not been conrmed
yet. The species can be found there in the vicinity of
the Dzhulukol lake, at the junction of Chikhachev’s,
Shapshalsky, and Chulyshmansky ridges.
The Manul’s habitats on Argut and in the south
of the Altai Reserve are not accurately delineated yet.
Therefore, based on our expert assessment of their
areas, we can only assume that about 9% (probably
less) of the total area of the Pallas’s cat’s habitats
is located within the federal Protected Areas in the
Republic of Altai (Table 2). The habitats suitable for
the Pallas’s cat occupy about 69% of the Sailugem
NP area. However, these are not the optimal stations
of this species. In the autumn of 2016, studies of
the Pallas’s cat using camera traps were started in
Sailugem NP and adjoining area. This will allow us
to clarify the cat’s status in this Protected Area.
Fig. 3. Distribution of the Pallas’s cat in the Altai-Sayan part of its Russian range.
Note: «Uvs» – the sites of the Uvs Nuur Basin Biosphere Reserve.
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118
Protected Area Region Total area of
Protected Area*
Percentage from total
area of all potential
habitats for the Pallas’s
cat in Russia, % *
Percentage
from area of the
specic Protected
Area/site, % *
Has the Pallas’s
cat existence been
conrmed in the last
10–15 years?
FEDERAL PROTECTED AREAS
Altaisky BR Altai 8712.1 0.45 7.5 No
Sailugem NP: Argut site Altai 807.3 0.37 66.5 Yes
Sailugem NP: Sailugem and
Ulandryk sites Altai 376.5 0.19 74.4 Ye s
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Mongun-Taiga site Tyva 158.9
(1015.1)
0.11
(0.7) 100 (99.4) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Uvs Nuur site Tyva 44.9
(130.4)
0.02
0.08 66.8 (84.6) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Oruku-Shynaa site Tyva 287.5
(638.4)
0.16
(0.4) 82.8 (91.4) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Aryskannyg site Tyva 150.0
(264.6)
0.01
(0.09) 8.0 (47.8) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Yamaalyg site Tyva 8.0
(54.5)
0.01
(0.04) 100 (100) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Tsugeer Els site Tyva 49.0 (457.86) 0.03
(0.3) 91.8 (85.6) Yes
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
BR: Khan-Deer site Tyva 1129.2 (2302.5) 0.03
(0.15) 4.4 (9.6) Yes
Sayano-Shushensky BR Krasnoyarsk 3903.7 0.14 5.1 Ye s
Tunkinsky NP Buryatia 11836.6 3.25 39.8 Ye s
Altacheisky FWS Buryatia 783.7 0.17 31.3 Yes
Daursky BR: Toreisky, Imal-
kinsky, Chikhalan, Ereldzhi,
and Kuku-Khodan sites
Trans-Baikal 426.7
(1564.2)
0.06
(0.62) 21.3 (57.9) Yes
Daursky BR: three sites at
Adon-Chelon area Trans-Baikal 10.4
(112.1)
0.01
(0.08) 100 (100) Yes
Daursky BR: Lesostepnoy site Trans-Baikal 3.0
(42.5)
0.002
(0.03) 100 (99.5) Yes
Sokhondinsky BR: buffer zone Trans-Baikal (3180.5) (0.68) (31.0) Yes
Alkhanai NP Trans-Baikal 1382.3 0.16 16.3 No
Dzerens’ valley FWS Trans-Baikal 2138.4 1.45 98.2 Yes
Tsasucheisky Bor FWS Trans-Baikal 578.7 0.12 31.1 Yes
Total for federal Protected
Areas:
32786.8
(40331.0)
6.74
(9.45) 29.8 (34.0)
REGIONAL PROTECTED AREAS
Ak-Cholushpa: NaP Kalba-
kaya site Altai 789.5 0.18 33.9 Yes
Belukha NaP Altai 1312.7 0.08 8.6 No
Ukok Quiet Zone NaP Altai 2542.0 1.26 71.8 No
Shavlinsky RWS Altai 2466.0 0.32 19.0 Yes
Taiga NaP Tyva 425.5 0.13 45.8 Yes
Balgazynsky RWS Tyva 542.8 0.37 100 No
Kaksky RWS Tyva 487.7 0.09 27.7 Yes
Ondumsky RWS Tyva 148.7 0.02 16.8 Yes
Saglinsky RWS Tyva 96.8 0.04 61.0 Yes
Sut-Kholsky RWS Tyva 123.4 No data No data No data
Chagytaisky RWS Tyva 61.1 0.04 90.0 No
Shansky RWS Tyva 230.4 0.01 4.3 No
Eerbeksky RWS Tyva 241.8 0.06 35.6 Yes
Angirsky RWS Buryatia 423.3 0.05 16.1 No
Borgoysky RWS Buryatia 421.8 0.29 100 Ye s
Tugnuisky RWS Buryatia 393.6 0.27 99.8 Ye s
Aginskaya Steppe RWS Trans-Baikal 457.6 0.32 100 Ye s
Table 3. Potential habitats for the Pallas’s cat and its actual representativeness within Protected Areas network of Russia
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2017. 2(Suppl. 1): 113–124 DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2017.019

119
Protected Area Region Total area of
Protected Area*
Percentage from total
area of all potential
habitats for the Pallas’s
cat in Russia, % *
Percentage
from area of the
specic Protected
Area/site, % *
Has the Pallas’s
cat existence been
conrmed in the last
10–15 years?
Argaleisky RWS Trans-Baikal 120.0 0.01 12.1 No
Gornaya Steppe RWS Trans-Baikal 52.7 0.02 49.0 Yes
Semenovsky RWS Trans-Baikal 476.2 0.17 50.7 Yes
Oldondinsky RWS Trans-Baikal 515.0 0.34 94.5 Yes
Total for regional Protected
Areas: 12309.1 4.06 47.9
TOTAL (for all Protected
Areas):
45095.9
(52640.1) 10.8 (13.5) 34.7 (37.3)
* Data in brackets are the percentage of potential habitats for the Pallas’s сat as the Protected Areas are taken with their buffer zones (if any exist).
Abbreviations used in the Table: BR – Biosphere Reserve, NP – National Park, FWS – federal Wildlife Sanctuary, NaP – Nature Park,
RWS – regional Wildlife Sanctuary.
Four regional Protected Areas contain some areas
of potential habitats for Pallas’s cats. These are Ukok
Quiet Zone Nature Park, Ak-Cholushpa Nature Park,
Belukha Nature Park, and Shavlinsky Wildlife Sanctu-
ary (Table 3). The last three are located in an area where
the limit of the Pallas’s cat’s range passes. Anyway, the
location of its range’s limit requires clarication. The
Pallas’s cat’s existence has been reliably conrmed in
Shavlinsky Wildlife Sanctuary (Spitsyn, 2017), and it
is assumed in Ak-Cholushpa Nature Park (Konunova
et al., 2015; interview surveys).
In general, the regional Protected Areas cover
about 17% of the total area of potential habitats
of the Pallas’s cat in the Republic of Altai. Both
federal and regional Protected Areas cover almost
26% of the total area of potential habitats of the
species in the region (Table 2).
Republic of Tyva
In Tyva the total area of potential habitats of the
Pallas’s cat is approximately 37,800 km2 (Table 2,
Fig. 3). Perhaps, these habitats cover a greater area.
There is a lack of data on the Pallas’s cat’s distribu-
tion in the western part of the Central Tyva hollow
(Sut-Kholsky, Barun-Khemchiksky, and Bai-Taigin-
sky districts of the republic) and thus the potential
habitats area has been apparently underestimated.
The Federal Protected Areas contain about 7%
of the total area of the Manul’s potential habitats in
the region. The Pallas’s cat’s habitats are located
in one of the two federal Protected Areas in the
Republic of Tyva – the Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
Biosphere Reserve. The Manul’s habitats are locat-
ed in seven of nine sites of this biosphere reserve
and in their buffer zones, namely: Mongun-Taiga,
Uvs Nuur, Oruku-Shynaa, Aryskannyg, Yamaalyg,
Tsugeer Els and Khan-Deer sites (Table 2, 3).
There are also some Pallas’s cat’s habitats lo-
cated in regional Protected Areas. These are Taiga
Nature Park, Balgazynsky Wildlife Sanctuary, Cha-
gytaisky Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaksky Wildlife Sanc-
tuary, Ondumsky Wildlife Sanctuary, Saglinsky
Wildlife Sanctuary, Sut-Kholsky Wildlife Sanctuary,
Eerbeksky Wildlife Sanctuary and, perhaps, Shan-
sky Wildlife Sanctuary. The Balgazynsky and Cha-
gytaisky ones are most appropriate for the Pallas’s
cat’s inhabitation because 90–100% of their areas are
suitable for them. To sum up, the regional Protected
Areas cover about 2.9% from the total area of all po-
tential habitats in the region, and ca. 10% of the total
area of potential habitats in Tyva is located within
regional and federal Protected Areas (Tables 2, 3).
In 2011, the Sibecocenter with assistance of the
Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina Biosphere Reserve and the
Directorate for the Protected Areas of the Republic of
Tyva carried out special studies on distribution and
abundance of the Pallas’s cat in the republic including
Protected Areas (Barashkova, 2012). In particular,
our interview surveys were conducted in the buffer
zones of four sites of the biosphere reserve (Mongun-
Taiga, Aryskannyg, Yamaalyg, Tsugeer Els) and in
the vicinity of them, in four regional wildlife sanc-
tuaries (Kaksky, Ondumskiy, Saglinskiy, Eerbeksky),
and in Taiga Nature Park. Snow track surveys were
conducted in some of them, namely: Aryskannyg,
Yamaalyg, and Tsugeer-Els sites of the BR, and On-
dumsky Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as near the Bal-
gazynsky Wildlife Sanctuary. The Pallas’s cat’s pres-
ence has been conrmed in all these Protected Areas.
In 2011, we estimated the total Manul’s abun-
dance in the Republic of Tyva at 4300–5800 in-
dividuals (Barashkova, 2012). At present, data on
the Pallas’s cat in the Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina
Biosphere Reserve is obtained during monitoring
of populations of other mammal species, including
the use of camera traps (Kuksin et al., 2016; Go-
reva, 2017). In other Protected Areas of Tyva the
Manul study is not carried out.
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120
Fig. 4. Distribution of the Pallas’s cat in the Baikal part of its Russian range. Legend see Fig. 3.
Krasnoyarsk Krai
The potential area of the Pallas’s cat’s inhabita-
tion in the region is about 350 km2 near the bound-
ary with Tyva (northern edge of the Central Tyva
hollow) (Table 2, Fig. 3).
The Manul is recorded in both the core area
and buffer zone of Sayano-Shushensky Biosphere
Reserve (Sokolov, 2012; Istomov et al., 2016). The
last authors (Istomov et al., 2016) made a summary
of the Pallas’s cat’s records at the south of Kras-
noyarsk Krai including the area of the biosphere re-
serve. They used Nature Chronicle materials, diary
entries, inspectors’ reports and data of the camera
traps established in the Sayano-Shushensky BR
to study the Snow Leopard. The total area of the
Pallas’s cat’s inhabitation in the reserve has been
estimated at 40 km2. According to our assessment,
the total area potentially suitable for the Manul in
the Sayano-Shushensky BR is about 200 km2. If our
assessment is correct, this reserve provides the pro-
tection for about 57% of the total area of potential
habitats of the Pallas’s cat in the region.
Republic of Buryatia
In Buryatia the total area of potential habitats
of the Pallas’s cat has been estimated at not less
than 28,900 km2. It consists of two isolated areas.
The rst of them is the Tunka fragment (about
6700 km2) located in the Eastern Sayan and Tunka
valley. The second of them is the Southern-Bury-
atsky fragment (about 22,200 km2) which includes
steppe valleys of the rivers Selenga, Chikoi, Khi-
lok, and Dzhida (Table 2, Fig. 4).
More than 17% of the total area of potential
habitats of the Pallas’s cat in Buryatia is located
within federal Protected Areas. These are mainly
represented in the Tunkinsky National Park and
in the Altacheisky Wildlife Sanctuary as well
(Table 2, 3). Approximately 3% of the total area
suitable for the Pallas’s cat is located within
Borgoysky and Tugnuisky Wildlife Sanctuaries,
and perhaps Angirsky as well.
Medvedev (2007) provided an overview of the
Pallas’s cat’s records at the Tunka area in 1985–2006.
The Manul’s presence on the Tunka rocky summits
has been conrmed during studies of the Snow Leop-
ard using camera traps. In particular, the Pallas’s cat
has been repeatedly recorded in the vicinity of Munku-
Sardyk Mount located north of the Khövsgöl lake at
the Russia/Mongolia border (Karnaukhov & Malykh,
2017). This may indicate an existence of a direct con-
nection between the Tunka enclave and the Mongolian
population of the species via the Khövsgöl region and
the Darkhat valley where the Pallas’s cat was recorded
(Litvinov & Bazardorzh, 1992; Dorzhiev et al., 2009).
Studies of the Manul have not been carried out in
the Tunkinsky National Park yet. Since 2015, Baikal
Reserve carries out studies to identify the Pallas’s cat
habitats (using camera traps and snow track surveys)
in the Altacheisky Wildlife Sanctuary and its vicinity
(Shelest & Khidekel, 2016; Shelest, 2017). In the win-
ter of 2016–2017, the Buryat regional conservation
body («BurPriroda») organised winter track surveys
of the Pallas’s cat in the regional wildlife sanctuaries.
It is planned that this monitoring will become perma-
nent in future (Doynikova, personal communication).
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2017. 2(Suppl. 1): 113–124 DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2017.019

121
Trans-Baikal Krai
In Trans-Baikal Krai the total area potentially
inhabited by the Pallas’s cat is ca. 62,100 km2 (the
steppe region commonly known as Dauria). In
1994–1995, 2010, and 2016 the study of this region
was conducted by us, including snow track and in-
terview surveys as well as camera traps. About 7.9%
from the total area of potential habitats of the Pal-
las’s cat in the region is located within federal Pro-
tected Areas and their buffer zones (Table 2). To a
greater extent, these Protected Areas cover habitats
which are optimal for the species. In certain years
the Pallas’s cat’s population density at some areas
here reaches 17.6–19.5 individuals per 10 km2 (Kiri-
lyuk & Barashkova, 2011). Currently, all cluster ar-
eas of the Daursky Reserve can be used by Pallas’s
cats and these are actually used by animals, includ-
ing the bottom of the dried-up lake Barun-Torei.
Optimal habitats are represented in Adon-Chelon-
sky and Kulusutaisky areas of the reserve. The Pal-
las’s cat is known in all the territory of the Dzerens’
Valley Wildlife Sanctuary established in 2011. The
Manul visits regularly the Tsasucheisky Bor Wild-
life Sanctuary. The Pallas’s cat’s existence has been
conrmed in the buffer zone of the Sokhondinsky
Biosphere Reserve (Belov, 2015) and, perhaps, in
the Alkhanai National Park. Almost 2% of the total
area of potential habitats of the Manul in the Trans-
Baikal Krai is located within ve regional wildlife
sanctuaries, namely: «Aginskaya Steppe», «Arga-
leisky», «Gornaya Steppe», «Semenovsky», and
«Oldondinsky» (Table 3).
In the 1990s, studies of the Manul in the Daur-
sky BR and Dauria as a whole were started. At that
time, data of interview surveys and pedestrian in-
vestigations were generalised. By the mid-1990s,
the species’ number in the region was estimated at
2100–3000 individuals. The retrospective analysis
of skins purchase data revealed multiple uctua-
tions in the Pallas’s cat abundance with peak values
up to 25,000 individuals in the 1940s (Kirilyuk &
Puzansky, 2000). According to the recent surveys,
the Pallas’s cat’s number in the region was estimat-
ed at 13,000–14,000 individuals in 2010 (Kirilyuk
& Barashkova, 2011) and 5,000–6,000 individuals
in 2016 (Kirilyuk & Barashkova, 2016). Multiple
uctuations of the Manul’s number and distribu-
tion depending on the state of prey populations and
snow cover have been shown exactly for Dauria.
In unfavourable years Pallas’s cats can move over
dozens of kilometers which resulted in an increasing
mortality. This behaviour decreases the role of Pro-
tected Areas in the species’ conservation (Kirilyuk
& Barashkova, 2016). In addition, radiotelemetry
studies have revealed vertical seasonal migrations
of the Pallas’s cats in the rugged terrain. In snowy
winters, Pallas’s cats move into the relief depres-
sions, where the average snow depth is less.
Fig. 5. Distribution of the Pallas’s cat in the Trans-Baikal part of its Russian range. Legend see Fig. 3.
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2017. 2(Suppl. 1): 113–124 DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2017.019

122
The analysis of radiotelemetry studies con-
ducted in the Daursky Biosphere Reserve has al-
lowed making preliminary conclusions on the
structure and dynamics of individual home ranges
of Pallas’s cats (Barashkova & Kirilyuk, 2011).
However, the ground-based radiolocation using
the VHF transmitters has not allowed establishing
the patterns of Pallas’s cat’s migrations into new
habitat areas. Analogous studies conducted in sim-
ilar landscapes in Mongolia have shown that the
individual home ranges of Pallas’s cats are on av-
erage signicantly larger than those of many other
medium size predators (Ross et al., 2012). And
therefore, only large Protected Areas can secure
protection of viable Pallas’s cat populations.
General characteristics of Pallas’s cat
protection by Protected Areas
In total, eleven federal Protected Areas are lo-
cated within the area of the Pallas’s cat distribution
in Russia. These are ve biosphere reserves (Al-
taisky, Daursky, Sayano-Shushensky, Sokhondin-
sky, Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina), three national parks
(Sailugemsky, Tunkinsky, Alkhanai), and three
federal wildlife sanctuaries (Altacheisky, Dzerens’
Valley, Tsasucheisky Bor) (Table 3). Totally, these
Protected Areas include about 6.7% from the total
area of the potential habitats of the Manul in Rus-
sia, or 9.5% if also taking into account the buffer
zones of the Protected Areas (Table 2).
In the Russian legislation a buffer zone is not
a part of a Protected Area but has a special regime
that can be similar to one of the wildlife sanctuar-
ies. It is sufcient to protect the Pallas’s cat and its
habitats against main threats.
Regional Protected Areas (nature parks and
wildlife sanctuaries) cover 4.1% of the total area
of potential habitats of the Pallas’s cat.
In total, Protected Areas of different categories
and levels cover 10.8% of the total area of Manul
habitats in Russia, or 13.5% if taking buffer zones
into account.
In general, it may seem that the existing Rus-
sian Protected Areas are sufcient to provide a good
protection of the Pallas’s cat. However, the protec-
tion level varies signicantly in different parts of the
national species range. The Pallas’s cat’s habitats are
least covered by the Protected Areas in the west of the
range in Russia, in its Altai-Sayan part. It is especially
correct for Tyva (Table 2, Fig. 3) where all Protected
Areas contain less than 5% of the total area of the
habitats suitable for this species (less than 10% if the
buffer zones are included). Then, the Manul range in
Tyva consists of two or three fragments correspond-
ing to the large intermontane depressions dominated
by steppe landscapes. The fragments are more or less
isolated. Most of the Protected Areas which include
the Pallas’s cat’s habitats are located in the Uvs Nuur
basin but only few of them are in the Central Tyva
hollow (despite its large area) and only single records
of the species are known in these Protected Areas
(less than 5% of the total number of the Manul re-
cords in the province). The habitats of the Pallas’s cat
in Altai are formally better protected. But only 5% or
less of the actually known Manul registration points
are located within Protected Areas.
Taking into account the distribution of the Pal-
las’s cat’s records it can be seen that there are sig-
nicant gaps in its coverage by the Protected Areas
in both Baikal and Trans-Baikal parts of the spe-
cies range. Thus most of the Pallas’s cat registra-
tions in Buryatia are conned to the interuves
of the river Selenga with the river Chikoi and the
river Chikoi with the river Khilok, and to the ba-
sin of lake Gusinoe. But there is not any Protected
Area in these locations. The habitats of the Pallas’s
cat in the Trans-Baikal Krai are not covered by the
Protected Areas in the Argun ridge and north of
Urulyunguy ravine, nor north of Shilka (systems
of the river Nercha and the river Quenga) where
this species is located on the northern border of its
range in the region. Despite of extremeness, the last
mentioned location is the only area where Pallas’s
cats have not been affected by catastrophic decline
during the severe winter of 2015–2016 (Kirilyuk &
Barashkova, 2016). This fact highlights the poten-
tial importance of this location for conservation of
the Pallas’s cat in the region.
Existing Protected Areas are not sufcient to
counteract the high mortality rate of the Pallas’s
cat in the «bad» years either (when it is affected by
extreme weather and/or low feeding supply). The
Protected Areas should contain also lowlands and
river valleys in the steppe zone, while known sur-
viving areas should be protected as well.
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ЗНАЧЕНИЕ ОСОБО ОХРАНЯЕМЫХ ПРИРОДНЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ ДЛЯ
СОХРАНЕНИЯ МАНУЛА (OTOCOLOBUS MANUL: FELIDAE) В РОССИИ
А. Н. Барашкова1, В. Е. Кирилюк2, И. Э. Смелянский1
1Сибэкоцентр, Россия
2Государственный природный биосферный заповедник «Даурский», Россия
e-mail: yazula@yandex.ru
Otocolobus manul является видом мелких кошачьих и находится в России на северной периферии своего ареала. На
основе данных дистанционного зондирования Земли, топокарт и цифровых картографических моделей в пределах
российского ареала манула выделены потенциальные местообитания этого вида. По литературным источникам, соб-
ственным данным авторов и данным, предоставленным вкладчиками он-лайн базы данных, составлена карта находок
(регистраций) манула в России. Рассмотрена представленность потенциальных местообитаний манула и его фактиче-
ских регистраций в сети ООПТ на территории России. Всего в пределах ареала вида в России площадь потенциаль-
ных местообитаний составляет 145150 км2. Во всех пяти регионах, где подтверждено обитание манула (республики
Алтай, Тыва и Бурятия, Красноярский и Забайкальский края), регистрация его встреч в основном соответствует раз-
мещению потенциальных местообитаний. Основными категориями федеральных и региональных ООПТ охвачено
10.8% (с учетом охранных зон – 13.5%) от площади потенциальных местообитаний манула; детально рассмотрен
потенциал каждой из этих ООПТ для сохранения манула. Обсуждается, достаточна ли существующая сеть ООПТ для
сохранения вида. Указаны основные территориальные пробелы, снижающие защищенность манула территориальной
охраной в отдельных частях российского ареала.
Ключевые слова: Otocolobus manul, защищенность территориальной охраной, манул, он-лайн база данных, особо ох-
раняемые природные территории, потенциальные местообитания, пробелы территориальной охраны, распространение
Nature Conservation Research. Заповедная наука 2017. 2(Suppl. 1): 113–124 DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2017.019