“…While controlled, scientificallyâgrounded hunting of these species can contribute to their conservation (IUCN, 2016; Michel et al, 2015), poaching (i.e., illegal, uncontrolled and often unsustainable offtake) threatens these species, particularly during times of institutional instability, such as armed conflicts, of which there have been many in mountain regions (e.g., Kashmir, Pamir, Dinaric Mountains, Caucasus; Matloff, 2017). Mountain ungulates face additional threats from competition with livestock (Bleyhl et al, 2019), surface mining (Ripple et al, 2015; Shackleton, 1997), and climate change (Grotan, Saether, Filli, & Engen, 2008). As a result, many species today hold out only in small, isolated populations, often solely inside protected areas (Damm & Franco, 2014).…”