Study examines the relation between agriculture and the declining marmot population in Kazakhstan

11 June 2020

A group of scientists, including IAMO Central Asia Group members, combined 1960s satellite data with modern satellite imagery to track marmot burros in Kazakhstan over more than 50 years. The steppe marmot (Marmota bobak), a keystone species in the Eurasian steppes is still in decline following agricultural expansion that happened more than 50 years ago. The paper shows long-term legacies of past land use - as well as remarkable site fidelity of the marmots.

The full paper is available here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2019.2897 (open access)

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