Saiga antelope
Project profile
Saiga antelope
Study species: Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica)
Project location: Uzbekistan
Species fact: Saiga antelopes have roamed the earth since the ice age, outliving mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. They are now only found in small ranges in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan.
Problem: Poaching (tied to the downfall of the USSR in 1991) is a major cause of saiga decline. Saiga poaching has provided an (illegal) alternative source of income and food for struggling rural communities and the reopening of the border with China in the late 1980s has led to high demand for saiga horn.
Goal 1
A project officer will be appointed to work at Resurrection Island. They’ll coordinate the saiga monitoring twice a year, biodiversity restoration, and oversee the planned tourism activities.
Goal 2
A sustainable ecotourist programme will be developed for Resurrection Island. Areas will be cleared to make it suitable for tourists to visit, and communities will be invited to provide accommodation and activities, offering residents alternative livelihoods.
Goal 3
Resurrection Island will be nominated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Information will be gathered that will enable the government to nominate the area, highlighting its special status and securing its future, protecting it from harmful development.
What your donation can achieve
£25
can help support saiga rangers with vital field equipment to carry out their monitoring.
£50
can help prepare Resurrection Island for the developing ecological tourism programmes such as bird watching and stargazing.
£100
can help build a field base for rangers in Resurrection Island so they can stay overnight and patrol more effectively.