Dashtijum Sanctuary

The Dashti-Jum Nature Reserve covers about 380 square kilometres of the Hazrati Shoh mountain range in eastern Khatlon region, roughly 80 kilometres southeast of the city of Kulob, at elevations between 1,300 and 2,500 metres. It stretches south to the Panj river, which forms the border with Afghanistan, and encompasses three small mountain rivers whose valleys support a varied cover of woody thickets and herbaceous vegetation, while the Panj floodplain itself draws large numbers of waterbirds. The reserve was established specifically to safeguard what is considered one of the last substantial and viable populations of the screw-horned markhor goat in Central Asia, alongside the Central Asian mouflon. It has also been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the populations of resident, breeding and migratory bird species it supports, and currently sits on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status.