This year, the coordination of the census of irbis in Russia will be conducted by the Sailugem National Park, with financial and resource support provided by the Interregional Association "Irbis" and Sberbank.

Due to the occurrence of heavy snowfalls in Siberia this winter, experts anticipate potential disruptions to routes in the mountains, affecting the population estimate.

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This year’s census will be overseen by the Sailugem National Park, which has extensive expertise in data collection and analysis. Field expeditions are scheduled to occur from February to March, with data processing anticipated to commence by mid- to late April. The survey will be conducted in the Republics of Altai, Tyva, Buryatia, and Krasnoyarsk Krai, encompassing all four regions within the species' habitat in the country for the first time. Previously, Krasnoyarsk Krai was not included in the count; however, within the boundaries of Sayano-Shushensky Reserve, a population of approximately 11 individuals of the species has been restored. Concurrently, the participants of the count will estimate the number of Siberian ibex, the primary prey of the irbis in Russia.

Denis Gulyaev, the survey’s coordinator and the Sailugemsky National Park’s Deputy Director for priority projects, will be present.

The enumeration commenced on January 25 during a preparatory meeting convened in Gorno-Altaisk, initiated by the Sailugemsky National Park and financed by the Interregional Association "Irbis." The agenda of the meeting included deliberations on plans, the work schedule, the allocation of routes, and the identification of responsible individuals, culminating in the establishment of definitive terms. The following participants were present: in the Republic of Altai, Altai Nature Reserve and the volunteer expedition "In the footsteps of the snow leopard"; the Directorate of Protected Areas of Altai; and in the Republic of Tyva, the reserve "Ubs unur Basin", Nature Park "Tyva", in the Republic of Buryatia — Tunka National Park and Irkutsk public environmental organization "Siberia", and in Krasnoyarsk Krai — the reserve "Sayano-Shushensky."

A full-scale survey of the number and condition of snow leopards has been conducted in Russia since 2015. These specialists employ a unified methodology, which was formally endorsed by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation in 2018 as part of the country’s Snow Leopard Monitoring Program. The methods employed by these specialists include the use of monitoring equipment such as photo and video traps, as well as the tracking of animals through their biological samples, including wool and feces, which are subject to molecular genetic analysis. Concurrently, the population of Siberian ibex will be enumerated. The average population size of irbis in Russia is estimated to be between 70 and 90 individuals, with a confirmed population of 53 to 56 individuals in 2015.