If no effective measures are taken, many species of rare animals, including saigas, may soon disappear in Uzbekistan.
Saigas, a pair-hoofed mammal of the true antelope subfamily, are threatened with extinction in Uzbekistan due to the negative effects of climate change and anthropogenic impacts on their habitats and migrations.
Already, their small herds are facing threats such as habitat loss, lack of food due to human activities, pollution and drying up of water bodies, and obstacles on their migration routes.
Saiga population in Uzbekistan
There are a total of 5 saiga populations in the world. Uzbekistan has the smallest saiga population, with the main core population living in Kazakhstan. Saigas are also found in Russia, Mongolia, former China and Turkmenistan.
In Uzbekistan saigas are listed in the Red Book and are a rare and endangered species.
They mainly live near the border with Kazakhstan, where their conservation is given special attention.
According to Elena Bykova, executive secretary of the International Saiga Conservation Alliance, there are about 600 saigas in Uzbekistan.
‘An expert estimate of the North Ustyurt group [the Karakalpak part of the Ustyurt Plateau] is 200-400 individuals (100 wasps – resident group; 100-300 wasps – migrants whose numbers vary from year to year). There is another grouping in Aralkum, there we give about 200 individuals,’ she said.
According to Bykova, it is difficult to calculate the exact number of saigas, but despite the lack of a full-fledged census, information on their numbers is collected regularly.
She said that in the Soviet era, when saiga populations were large, aerial surveys were the main and most productive method of counting saigas. This was done from the air using small aircraft such as the An-24. Now more modern aeroplanes are used, and a special methodology has been developed. Every year, aeroplanes fly along certain routes and record large herds of saigas from above.‘The surveys are carried out annually at the end of April and beginning of May, covering all saiga populations. For Uzbekistan, where the population is small, we use the data from these aerial surveys to understand general trends and where saiga numbers are heading. These data help us to assess what is happening to our populations, as some of them are migrating to Kazakhstan,’ said Elena Bykova.
She emphasised that at the moment they are relying mainly on data from Kazakhstan and giving an export estimate for saigas in Uzbekistan.
Boundary fences are a danger on animal migration routes
There are several factors that are dangerous for animals migrating long distances and that cause their numbers to decrease.
One of them is borders, or rather their length. Boundary fences are becoming increasingly large, and they are not permeable to large migrating animals, including saigas.
They are the most seriously affected by this process, as saigas are a long-distance subspecies. For example, saigas used to migrate to Uzbek Ustyurt [a desert and plateau of the same name in western Central Asia (in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) – Ed. note] from northern Kazakhstan and the Urals. Today, however, saigas are divided into separate populations, e.g. Ural and Ustyut, and this is not due to a natural process, but to human economic activity, the expert said.
‘In the past, when saiga numbers were optimal, until about the 1980s and 1990s, saigas migrating from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan would go through Karakalpakstan, pass through our territory all the way to Lake Sarakamysh and descend to Turkmenistan, where they stayed for the winter. Now we don’t see this,’ Bykova said.
The most significant obstacle for animals in Kazakhstan is the Shalkar-Beyneu railway, as well as fences on the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan border. Specialists and Kazakh colleagues are working there, and have recorded saigas crossing the border in video traps, but their numbers are very small,’ she said.
Saiga horns are the cause of their extermination
Poaching has been a major issue that initially led to the decline in saiga numbers. The widespread decline in all populations and across the entire range is due to the extermination of males that have horns.
Saiga horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine, so the poachers’ choice of horns was primarily for them, which led to a reproductive imbalance in the population. This, in turn, led to an imbalance because the saigas could not reproduce effectively.
‘At some point, poachers started killing everyone. That is, they not only wanted the horns, which were the predominant prey because of their high price, but they also started killing females and young. There was complete lawlessness, the timing of which coincided with reorganisation and therefore poor control. The results were terrible, the saiga population was then reduced by 95 per cent,’ says Bykova.
And while in habitats such as rhinoceroses, for example, animal rights activists have deliberately captured them and sawed off their horns to protect them from poachers, this method will not work with saigas.
Unlike rhinos, saiga horns are part of the skull and cannot be simply sawed off without harming the animal. If the horn is cut off, the saiga will die because of the large number of blood vessels. Moreover, saigas are very nervous animals with a weak heart, and they can die from the stress of capture, explains Bykova.
‘Because of the gregarious way of life, it is technically impossible for saigas to apply rhino defence methods. For example, we can’t spread false rumours about saiga diseases to deter poachers, although such ideas have been suggested. We cannot spread false information – it is against scientific ethics. Instead, we try to educate people about the importance of saiga conservation,’ she said.
The export and re-export of saiga horn comes in different forms: whole horns, horn shavings and preparations. For example, in Singapore, a drink called cooling water, which is considered an immune-supporting agent, is popular. This product is in high demand, and the price of horns as they move up the illegal chain rises from $100-200 at the initial stage to $2,000-5,000 per kilogramme, says Bykova.
Saiga meat is more often used by the local population. When the saiga population was large, the meat was not valued as much because it is heavy and inconvenient to transport. The focus was on the horns. But when the saiga population decreased, meat also became in demand, especially in the local villages. It is cheaper than beef and has always been in demand, especially in Soviet times, when saiga meat was available in Tashkent shops. In the post-Soviet era, saiga meat was sold at local markets at a lower price than mutton or beef.
Saiga hunting is now rare due to strict laws and security. In Uzbekistan, the number of such cases is minimal due to improved protection and small populations. However, saiga horn souvenirs are still found on the black market. For example, knives with handles made from the horns of wild animals, including saiga, can be found in bazaars in Bukhara and Samarkand. This raises questions about where such horns come from.
There have been cases of horns from Kazakhstan being brought into Uzbekistan for sale in Tashkent. They may have been used to make decorative knives. This is not on a huge scale but needs attention. Among the horns used for souvenirs, deer, roe deer and gazelle horns are more common, but saiga horns are the most vulnerable, which requires special attention, says Elena Bykova.
The situation with saiga numbers is improving, but there are still problems
The situation is now much improved. There is control by government services. There is widespread public awareness in villages near the saiga range.
Saiga populations are now recovering throughout the entire range, including in Uzbekistan, the expert said.
Today, a special complex landscape reserve, the Saiga Saiga Reserve in Karakalpakstan, has been created. Its main purpose is to protect saigas’ breeding grounds and their migration routes. In addition, in 2023, almost the entire saiga range in Uzbekistan was included in the UNESCO Natural Heritage List.
The fact that saigas are listed in the Red Data Book in Uzbekistan, as well as in other countries except Kazakhstan, is also bearing fruit. Kazakhstan has not deliberately included saigas in the Red Data Book, as this species is considered a hunting species there.
There is a stable, albeit small, saiga population on Vozrozhdeniya Island [formerly an island, and since 2015 a peninsula in the south-western part of the Aral Sea, a territory between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan – Ed. note], which gives hope for their further recovery.
‘However, if there were no barriers, the saiga population in Uzbekistan would be much larger. They would be able to migrate freely and stay for the winter in Uzbekistan, where the best wintering pastures are located,’ said Elena Bykova.
She said that despite a good legal framework, it does not always work well in practice. For example, unlike in neighbouring Kazakhstan, where inspectors are provided with everything they need: transport, ammunition, salaries, in Uzbekistan there are problems with logistics and a small number of staff.
‘In practice, we face objective problems, such as lack of funds. The state may not have enough money to effectively implement conservation programmes,’ says Bykova.
‘For example, the Saigachy Wildlife Refuge covers one million hectares, and there are only 11 inspectors. It is simply unrealistic for such a small team to effectively protect such a huge territory. The situation is a little better in the new territories, as there are more inspectors. For example, the Raupa National Park, established in 2022, has 40 inspectors, but they have only two vehicles – one of which is old and often breaks down, she said.
Transboundary conservation areas are needed
There are now all the conditions in Uzbekistan to accommodate saiga populations and prevent poaching.
In terms of laws, the country has no barriers to the creation of protected areas. It is envisaged that the first saiga habitat in the region will be a transboundary area in Southern Ustyurt. There are also plans to create a territory for saigas in the Aral Sea region, the expert said.
‘This is only an idea for now. To implement it, we need to have a dialogue with Kazakhstan to understand how ready they are to support this initiative,’ said Elena Bykova.
In addition, there are plans to create other such protected areas with Tajikistan. For example, one of them is envisaged in Samarkand Oblast in the valley of the Zerafshan River, where the Bukhara deer lives.
The protected area system is the best way to preserve natural ecosystems in their intact state and original complexity. It covers both terrestrial and aquatic areas, making it the most effective way to protect nature, notes Elena Bykova.
‘Such protected areas are our ‘green belt’. There are not so many of them, and there should be many more. Climate change reinforces the need to create such zones. If natural areas occupied more space, we would not feel the negative effects of warming and pollution so strongly. Natural ecosystems, thanks to their plants, can absorb dust, dirt and other harmful substances, giving people many benefits,’ she said.
The methodology has been developed and there are plans to hand it over to the state for annual use. Now the inspectors of the Saigachy Wildlife Refuge work on the SMART patrolling system aimed at combating poaching. The app records patrol routes and poaching incidents on them.
‘If we really want conservation to work, we need to invest in it as a priority, not just declare its importance. Unfortunately, nature protection is not always a real priority, unlike human issues,’ says Elena Bykova.