Cashmere Wool Trade Threatening Central Asian Wildlife: WCS Study

Increasing demand from Western countries for cashmere products has led to many animal species losing their habitat, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Wildlife Conservation Society and Snow Leopard Trust found that increase in cashmere trade has led to explosion of Cashmere goat population. The goat genus is now encroaching on habitats of other animals like the wild camel and wild yak, Przewalski's horse, chiru, saiga antelope, Tibetan gazelle, kiang, khulan, and the snow leopard.

China and Mongolia are major producers of cashmere wool that is made from the fibers of Cashmere goat found in the region. Cashmere wool is light, soft and provides excellent insulation, which makes it ideal for garments used in western countries.

In Mongolia alone, the number of Cashmere goats has increased from 5 million in 1990 to about 14 million in 2010. The open spaces that once belonged to the wildlife of Central Asia is now taken up by goats, which is threatening the biodiversity of the region.

Other problems include goat herders killing snow leopards to protect their herds. The current report was based on the field work done in India, China and Mongolia,

"The consequences are dramatic and negative for iconic species that governments have signed legislation to protect, yet the wildlife is continually being squeezed into a no-win situation," said Joel Berger, a biologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society and professor at University of Montana. Herders are doing what we would do - just trying to improve their livelihoods, and who can blame them?" Berger is the lead author of the study.

"In the absence of commitment across global and local scales, the iconic wildlife of the world's highest mountains and great steppes will cease to persist as they have for millennia. Rather than serving as symbols of success, these species will become victims of fashion," said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director for Asia Programs.

The study is published in the journal Conservation Biology.