The UN General Assembly proclaimed 24 May the International Day of the Markhor, A/RES/78/278, and the Day was celebrated for the first time in 2024.
The markhor (Capra falconeri) is an iconic and ecologically significant species found across the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The greatest threats to the survival of the markhor are habitat loss, illegal hunting, including poaching, and climate change.
Preserving the markhor and its natural habitat is an ecological imperative and a significant opportunity to bolster the regional economy, foster conservation efforts and promote sustainable tourism and economic growth and that conservation efforts will benefit the ecosystem.
