A resting saiga male. © Rotislav Stach

Saiga antelope numbers have decreased by 95% over the last 15 years due to poaching for meat and for their horns, which are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is by a low understanding of the saiga’s critical status and value for the steppe ecosystem, and poor control of illegal hunting and trafficking of saiga products. The project will raise awareness of the saiga’s plight by disseminating up to date knowledge widely, increasing collaborations between saiga range states and allowing scientists, conservationists and local people access to saiga information in their own language through production of the electronic newsletter Saiga News.

Saiga News is bi-annual e-bulletin, reproduced in 6 languages since 2005 by Saiga Conservation Alliance. We have published 8 issues so far. We use it as a tool to disseminate information widely both internationally and locally. It is an important tool for linking all those interested in saigas together and letting people know what is going on in other countries. Saiga News has been very well received in all saiga range countries including Uzbekistan, and is important as a way of enabling our network of collaborators (including the Saiga Friends and the nature conservation authorities) to keep in touch with developments both within Uzbekistan and in other countries. It recently won a prize for the best environmental publication in Uzbekistan.

Under the project we will produce the 9th (summer) issue of Saiga News in the 4 main languages used in the saiga range countries (Russian, Mongolian, Kazakh and Uzbek) used in saiga range as well as the language of the main horn consumer country, Chinese, and in English. We will distribute newsletter widely to all stakeholders, both locally and internationally. The circulation is large, and includes the responsible people from international and local NGOs and conventions, as well as Ministries, scientific institutions, local government and communities. Also Saiga News will be presented at international nature conservation events such as the XXIX Congress of the International Union of Game Biologists in Moscow, Russia and the annual Wildlife Conservation Expo in San Francisco, USA.