Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to sign memorandum on saiga antelope conservation

According to the press service of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, the two countries are preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding on saiga conservation. The document will serve as a foundation for comprehensive programs aimed at restoring the saiga population in Uzbekistan.

The memorandum is expected to include a wide range of joint initiatives, such as:

• Establishing cross-border protected areas and migration corridors to ensure safe and free movement of saigas along their traditional routes
• Restoring natural pastures, water sources, and ecosystems critical to the species’ feeding and reproduction
• Developing a saiga reintroduction program
• Organizing scientific research, population monitoring, and knowledge exchange, including field missions, joint patrols, training of specialists, and the sharing of population data

The cooperation will cover key areas of saiga protection, including joint monitoring of population size, health, and migration patterns within transboundary ecosystems; developing habitat restoration plans and preventing range fragmentation; sharing scientific, technical, and genetic information; implementing satellite tracking and veterinary surveillance; strengthening anti-poaching efforts through enhanced conservation activities; running public awareness campaigns; harmonizing population accounting methods and creating a shared database; and engaging international partners in conservation programs.

“Uniting the efforts of both countries to protect the saiga is not only an important step for biodiversity conservation, but also a milestone in strengthening sustainable transboundary environmental cooperation,” the Ministry noted.

According to the ministry, the saiga antelope is a rare and endangered species whose historic range once included vast areas of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and southern Russia. The saiga is listed in Uzbekistan’s Red Book of endangered species, as well as in Appendix II of the CITES Convention and Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).