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We analysed spatio-temporal locations of saiga calving aggregations in Kazakhstan over the last four decades obtained from aerial and ground surveys, to identify the factors determining the selection of calving sites within the species' range as well as any changes in these locations over time. Generalized mixed models were employed in a use - availability framework to assess the factors distinguishing calving from random sites and predict suitable areas for calving.
The Saiga Antelope Saiga tatarica inhabits the semi-arid deserts of Central Asia; it is found in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and in parts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The species has been hunted for its horns, meat and hides for several centuries and there are records of historic exports of Saiga horns to China in the 18th century... Saiga horns are also known as ling yang (羚羊) and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Kazakhstan government has provided substantial funding for anti-poaching patrols and aerial surveys, has passed legislation strengthening rangers' powers of arrest, and is considering establishing two protected areas for saigas.
In the Republic of Kalmykia (Russian Federation), the Government and the Department of Natural Resources have been active in strengthening saiga conservation, and the President has issued a decree on emergency measures for saiga conservation.
Two international meetings on the conservation of steppe ungulates were held from 25 - 30 October 2004 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The first was devoted to the conservation and management of the Mongolian gazelle, Procapra gutturosa, and was organized by the World Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with the US Agency for International Development, the UNDP/ GEF Project on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustain- able Livelihood Options in the Grasslands of Eastern Mongolia, the WWF Mongolian Program Office and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
With an estimated resident population of only 500 saigas
in Uzbekistan we are facing the very real risk of losing them from
another of their traditional ranges.
Until recently Vozrozhdeniye's restricted military status
and location in the Aral sea ensured protection of its
biodiversity. However, drying of the Aral sea through extraction
for irrigation has opened up a land corridor to the saiga's
habitat, and the removal of the island's restricted status means
people are now freely entering the area to hunt the
saigas.
The Ustiurt population in Kazakhstan was relatively secure but is now also under threat. There is evidence of much reduced conception rates in Kalmykia, probably because of selective hunting of adult males. The Mongolian subspecies shows no evidence of recent decline, but is of concern because of the population's small size. The cause of the population declines appears to be poaching for meat and horns, which is a result of economic collapse in the rural areas of Kazakhstan and Kalmykia. Saiga horns are also known as ling yang (羚羊) and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We suggest that full aerial surveys be carried out on the Betpak-dala (Kazakhstan) and Mongolian populations, and…
Due to dramatic reductions in group size and density, current estimates of abundance are probably substantially lower than the true population size, and the level of uncertainty surrounding these estimates precludes their use for monitoring trends. This has implications for the Government of Kazakhstan's ability to monitor progress towards their agreed conservation goals. The method is potentially widely applicable to species for which historical data on relative abundance and group size are available.
Using a process-orientated generalized linear modelling approach we show that variations in fecundity rates in populations of three species of ungulates with contrasting life histories are associated with density and winter weather in a remarkably similar manner. However, there are differences and we speculate that they are a result of differences in size between the species.