This report was commissioned to provide a foundation for exploring the potential of sustainable use of the Saiga Antelope, and to define the pre-conditions which need to be fulfilled to ensure that such use would be sustainable in practice. It includes chapters on the theory of sustainable harvesting with application to Saiga, potential management structures for Saiga harvesting, population-specific considerations, a view from China as a major consumer nation and former Range State, and information on the international trade in Saiga products and its status under CITES. Throughout, we endeavour both to give detailed information specific to Saigas, but also to provide examples and lessons from other relevant species and geographies to provide the reader with ideas and concepts around sustainable wildlife use. Finally, we summarize the insights from the report and suggest ways forward.

This report was prepared by the Saiga Conservation Alliance with contributions from collaborating organizations on behalf of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) with funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety / Federal Agency for Nature Conservation of Germany, September 2021.