The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Russia,
and several governments in Central Asia have concluded an agreement on
conservation measures for the migratory Saiga antelopes, whose population have
been in decline during the past two decades. Representatives from Kazakhstan,
Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and UN bodies gathered at a two-day
international conference in Ulaanbaatar under the auspices of the Convention on
Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS) and agreed to include the Mongolian Saiga in an
international conservation pact.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from
intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
local communities from the region.

Saiga antelopes roam the vast plains of Central Asia and
Russia. They can undertake migratory journeys between summer and winter of more
than 1,000 km. Although sometimes described as the “ugly duckling” of the
world’s antelopes, the Saiga comprise a vital part of the natural and cultural
heritage of the plains of Eurasia.

They numbered around one million in the early 1990s, but
declined to between 60,000 and 70,000 in 2006. In response to conservation efforts,
their populations have stabilized, according to UNEP. Currently there are
reportedly about 8,000 animals in Mongolia.

Despite legal protection, the Saiga are hunted for their
meat and horns, which are used in traditional medicine. Other threats include
disease, pasture degradation through overgrazing by livestock and other
disturbances from oil and gas extraction work and possibly climate change. The
new conservation measures are expected to harmonize monitoring and surveys to
regularly track all populations. Aerial and ground surveys will determine
changes, with emphasis on calving, rutting and two migration areas. Due to
their long migration between winter and summer pastures, it can be extremely
difficult to find them.

“The key to success for the conservation of these unique
looking antelopes of the Eurasian steppes has been the engagement of local
people,” said CMS Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. “This week’s
meeting paves the way for implementing the international action plan for the conservation
of this remarkable animal across its entire range.”