SPECIES COMPOSITION, BIOECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSERVATION PROBLEMS OF SMALL MAMMALS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE STATE NATURE CONSERVATION RESEARCH INSTITUTION OF THE "SURKHAN" STATE RESERVE (KO'HITANG MOUNTAIN RANGE)

Abstract

This article presents the species composition, distribution, population dynamics, and conservation problems of small mammals — representatives of the orders Rodentia, Insectivora, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, and Carnivora — inhabiting the territory of the State Nature Conservation Research Institution of the "Surkhan" State Reserve (Ko'hitang mountain range, Surkhondaryo region). Field research conducted during 2025, wildlife census data from 2023-2025, and the reserve's scientific reports from the past decade were analyzed. The study found that 26 mammal species have been recorded within the reserve's territory, of which 20 belong to the small-mammal group, including the order Chiroptera, represented by 5 species. The results of the 2023-2025 spring and autumn counts showed that the populations of Nystix indica Kerr, 1792, Meles meles Linnaeus, 1758, Martes foina Erxleben, 1777, and Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778 have remained stable or shown an increasing trend. The article concludes with scientific-practical recommendations on expanding the reserve's territory, strengthening veterinary-prophylactic measures, and introducing a temporary hunting moratorium.