Mongolian Saiga Conservation

Saiga (Saiga tatarica) are the world’s northernmost antelope. Once abundant across central Asia, saiga herds have experienced dramatic and rapid loss. In just a few decades their global populations have collapsed, dropping from millions of animals in the 1990s to less than 40,000 today. Two subspecies persist, and both are critically endangered. Long isolated from the more numerous populations in Kazakhstan and Russia by the Altai Mountains, the Mongolian subspecies (Saiga tatarica mongolica) is critically endangered, with less than 5,000 individuals remaining.

The Human Aspect
The worldwide decline in saiga populations stems from a combination of habitat loss and intense hunting pressure. Saiga are targeted by poachers for their horns, which are sold throughout Asia for curios and use in traditional Chinese medicine.  Much of the demand for saiga horn is thought to come from China, and the opening of Mongolia’s and Kazakhstan’s trade borders with China in the early 1990s has undoubtedly facilitated this illegal trade. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has organized anti-poaching patrols to counter illegal hunting, but these units have struggled to cover the entire saiga range in Mongolia. There is a need to develop local, community-based conservation initiatives if the saiga is to be adequately protected and conserved in Mongolia.

Threats
Little is known about the biological needs of saiga, although it is clear that poaching for the horned males has been intense due to high value in the Chinese medicinal market. Heavy grazing pressure from livestock in saiga territories also impacts the current population. The extremely low numbers of saiga remaining in Mongolia make them especially susceptible to stochastic events such as disease outbreaks or icy winter conditions (zuds) that could cause mass mortality and potentially drive this endemic subspecies to extinction.

WCS Activities
• In 2004 WCS developed and co-hosted the 2004 “International Conference on Mongolian Saiga Conservation” in Ulaanbaatar. This conference brought together researchers and government representatives from Mongolia, Russia, China, England, and the United States.
• In 2005, WCS senior biologists Joel and Kim Berger initiated a reconnaissance of saiga and their habitat in western Mongolia to 1) evaluate the current interest of Mongolian agencies and individuals in saiga conservation, and 2) assess the feasibility of collecting biological information that could aid in the conservation of saiga in their existing habitat.
• In 2006, WCS pioneered the world’s first capture and radiocollaring of wild adult saiga led by Drs. Joel and Kim Berger in collaboration with the Mammalian Ecology Laboratory at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. This effort is already providing critical data on saiga movements and habitat use patterns. Specific recommendations will be developed from these efforts which will be presented to the Government of Mongolia to help ensure proper management of saiga.

Overview of locations where saiga were observed during the 2005 reconnaissance

Important Next Steps
• WCS Mongolia will host a workshop in Gobi-Altai aimag designed to foster community-led initiatives to preserve the saiga in concert with ongoing projects designed to understand saiga population dynamics and habit needs in Mongolia.
• WCS Mongolia will collect baseline ecological and social information to help define conservation interventions to ensure protection of the saiga and its habitat and analyze these data at both the landscape and site level.
• WCS Mongolia will develop specific conservation and management recommendations, and enact these initiatives in partnership with local communities, government agencies, and other NGOs.

These activities will provide solid scientific and social data to facilitate protection of saiga throughout their range in Mongolia, encourage a data-driven network of effectively managed protected areas, establish community based conservation areas, and foster direct and active support by both government and local communities to protect saiga.

This project is funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society, and represents collaborative efforts by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Mammalian Ecology Laboratory at the Mongolian Academy of Science (MAS).