Resolution
of the international workshop
on saiga conservation
An international workshop on saiga conservation convened at the initiative of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia, was held in Elista, Kalmykia’s capital, May 5-10, 2002.
The workshop was made possible by the combined efforts of the Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia in the Republic of Kalmykia; Caspian Programme of ISAR; the Russian Committee for the UNESCO Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB), and the financial support of international and national donors (Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS); the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union (IUCN/SSC); World Wide Fund for Nature; Large Herbivore Initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF/LHI); Royal Netherlands Embassy in the Russian Federation; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Conservation Force, USA; Safari Club, Houston; “Kalmneft” Open Joint-Stock Company; “Kalmtatneft” Open Joint-Stock Company; Russian Joint-Stock Company “Rosneftegazstroi”. Workshop participants acknowledged the initiative of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia in hosting such an important international workshop and expressed their gratitude to all sponsors of the workshop, members of Organizing Committee and facilitators who made valuable input in the workshop's success.
More than 90 specialists took part in the workshop, including: representatives of the five range states (Russian Federation, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia); representatives of international organizations responsible for migratory species protection and international trade in rare and endangered species of wild flora and fauna; governmental and non-governmental nature conservation organizations; other organizations and agencies.
At plenary and thematic sessions the workshop participants discussed causes of a decrease in saiga numbers practically throughout its entire range, except for Mongolia, where there is a separate subspecies (Saiga tatarica mongolica) and its strict protection has been ensured in collaboration with the local population. Poaching for horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine, has become the main reason for the steep decline in saiga numbers. Besides horns poachers also hunt saigas to obtain meat for sale at local markets. To stop this negative process the CITES Secretariat proposed that the Standing Committee recommends to all Parties that no imports of specimens of this species be accepted from Kazakhstan and Russian Federation. Workshop participants noted the necessity of expanding cooperation on all levels, including with nations importing saiga horns, so as to prevent illegal trade and restore saiga habitat and abundance for future sustainable use and requested the range states delegations at the forthcoming in 2002 CITES COP to discuss usefulness of temporal moratorium on trade of any saiga specimens and take the relevant decision.
Besides combating poaching and illegal trade the workshop participants discussed such main topics as monitoring of populations/habitats of saiga; the role of strictly protected natural areas; establishing captive breeding centers for genepool conservation; collaboration with local population; and interregional and international cooperation. Detailed discussions of these issues were carried out at plenary sessions and in small groups where proposals and recommendations for the conservation and sustainable use of saiga were elaborated. These proposals have been added to drafts of the Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan for saiga conservation a preparation and advance distribution to all interested bodies of which were initiated by the Secretariat of CMS. At the plenary session workshop participants approved these drafts together with additions made by six working groups and recommended to relevant authorities of each range state in collaboration with CITES and CMS to sign these documents as soon as possible.
Workshop participants with gratitude accepted a proposal of the CMS Secretariat to undertake postings of final versions of Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan to the range states and expressed the hope that it will allow to speed up the process of signing of above documents. Moreover, there was achieved an agreement that CMS and CITES together with range states will take necessary steps to strengthen control of international trade in horns and other products derivable from saiga. Also workshop participants called upon the governments of the range states to increase their efforts towards conservation and restoration of saiga and its habitats including migration corridors; encouraged all stakeholders to contribute to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan which could be the important inputs in the framework of Agreement on conservation and use of migrating bird and mammal species and their habitats signed by members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 1994.
Workshop participants wish to suggest that after the entry into effect of the Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan it will be desirable to create anintergovernmental commission which will be responsible for their implementing and for the overall coordination of efforts of all organizations interested in conservation of saiga. Along with this commission workshop participants expressed the necessity to create an international public expert council as an instrument for independent assessment of any projects which could lead to changes in saiga populations and requested Russian MAB Committee to agree upon a process of its forming and terms of references.
Workshop participants also noted that the conservation and restoration of saiga and its habitats can contribute to the programs of poverty eradication and sustainable development of range states. The conservation of this endangered species cannot be separated from other national and regional efforts to conserve biodiversity and to combat land degradation as it is addressed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on Desertification Control (CCD). Accordingly it will be necessary to integrate conservation and sustainable use efforts for saiga and its habitat into the national strategies and action plans required under these instruments and any future Memoranda of Understanding concluded under CMS and CITES auspices.
Workshop participants requested national and regional governmental bodies to consider the possibility of creating new protected natural areas (PNA), particularly transboundary to protect migrating saiga herds, and strengthen existing local PNA networks to secure free connections between fragmented sub-populations. In some suitable areas it will be desirable to establish several saiga breeding centers that will be important to conserve its genepool.
The workshop participants asked local and national authorities to publicize the workshop results and widely distribute the information on programs aimed to conserve, restore and sustainable use of saiga as the living heritage of the Eurasian steppes which must be maintained for future generations. Workshop participants asked also the Organizing Committee to distribute this Resolution to the range state governments and publish the papers presented at the workshop as a separate volume that should be forwarded to CITES and CMS and other agencies and organizations interested in conservation, restoration and sustainable use of saiga.
Workshop participants requested experts from range states to conduct analysis of long-term observations on changes in ecology and biology of saiga which could be used for publishing in the Journal "Arid Ecosystems" and for preparing a set of teaching aids.
Workshop participants requested the Government of Republic of Kalmykia to continue its efforts to promote a cooperation among all parties concerned with saiga conservation. In this connection it will be important to expand the Wild Animals Conservation Center of Republic of Kalmykia and to use it as a base for training of local and visiting students. It will be also necessary to support the development and utilization of the most up-to-date technologies for conducting counts and other studies on ecology of saiga, and the establishing relevant database to promote information exchange among the saiga range states and with the Secretariats of CMS, CITES and other agencies. Workshop participants invited all national and international governmental institutions (including the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and its implementing agencies) inside as well as outside saiga range to implement the Action Plan and to integrate it into their programs and activities.
