The Irbis Association has provided the initiative and financial support for a census of the Argali sheep population, a species classified as endangered. Specialists from Russia and Mongolia will conduct the survey in a synchronized manner on both sides of the border. The Argali sheep population, which includes the key group inhabiting the transboundary zone between Russia and Mongolia, is considered a single herd.

To ensure the integrity of the data, specialists will maintain communication and correct any discrepancies in the data. The census is expected to span approximately 10−12 days, coinciding with the annual Argali rut, a period when herds of females with young and males, which typically remain separate during the year, congregate, making them more easily quantifiable.

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In Russia, the counting will be conducted by specialists from the Sailugemsky National Park, a specially protected natural area established in the Altai Republic in 2010 for the conservation of two flag species of Russia: the Altai mountain sheep (argali) and the snow leopard. A significant number of Altai mountain sheep live outside the boundaries of the National Park, so the counting takes place across the entire range of the species. The specialists will employ various instruments, including binoculars, telescopes, and cameras, to accurately enumerate the argali. The collection of precise data on the number of red-listed species is imperative, as it assists conservationists in assessing the efficacy of protection measures and identifying necessary adjustments.

Denis Gulyaev, the Deputy Director of Sailugemsky National Park, underscores the significance of this endeavor.

In the Altai Republic, the participants will include experts from the Sailugem National Park, the Altai Nature Reserve, and the Altai Nature Parks Directorate. Field work will take place on the Sailugem Ridge, including the Ulandryk River basin, the Chikhachev Ridge, and the South Chuysky Ridge. In the neighboring Republic of Tyva, the work will be carried out by the staff of the reserve "Ubsunur Basin." Mongolia will be represented by the Directorate of Protected Areas of the Mongolian Altai, the National Park "Silkham," and the reserve "Uvs-Nuur."On October 25, a coordination meeting was held in the Visitor Center of Sailugem National Park in the village of Kosh-Agach, Altai Republic, prior to the commencement of the survey. The participants approved the dates of expeditions, the method of information exchange, divided the territory into sites, and assigned each site to a certain group of specialists. Such tactics will help to carry out the work faster and more competently. The groups of Russian experts will move synchronously eastward along the Sailugem Ridge towards Tuva. The experts will summarize the results of the count by the end of November.

The methodology for argali census was endorsed within the framework of the Program for Monitoring the Altai Mountain Sheep (argali) in the Transboundary Zone of Russia and Mongolia, adopted in 2018. In 2022, the most significant document for argali conservation in the Russian Federation, the Strategy for the Conservation of Argali in the Russian Federation, was adopted.
The argali population is concentrated in two Russian regions, both located on the border with Mongolia: the Kosh-Agach region of the Altai Republic, where the Sailugemsky National Park is located, and the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan.
The neighboring Republic of Tyva has recorded approximately 200 argali, with the number of argali within the Russian borders exhibiting seasonal variations. During winter, some individuals migrate to Mongolia due to less snowy slopes and more abundant food sources. By spring, the argali migrate back to Russia.
According to the 2023 argali census, the population of red-listed argali within the transboundary zone between Russia and Mongolia has increased twofold over the past nine years. Specifically, the number of argali recorded in 2023 was 6,921−6,981, marking a 732-animal increase compared to the 2021 census (2,950 in Russia and 4,024 in Mongolia), 6,189 in 2021, 4,886 in 2019, and 4,675 in 2017.