The Saiga of Resurrection Island, Uzbekistan

The Saiga antelope is one of the world’s most endangered antelope. Numbering over a million in the 1980’s, their population plunged by over 90% in two decades. 

In north-west Uzbekistan, a population of saiga antelope have been living on Resurrection Island in the Aral Sea for at least 400 years. 

But in the 20th century, the Aral Sea was drained to irrigate cotton fields, triggering an ecological disaster and causing real poverty. 

Across the countryside, saigas were hunted for their meat, and the males for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. 

As the Aral Sea disappeared, Resurrection Island became a peninsula, surrounded by a muddy seabed, covered in toxic salt and pesticides. 

The island was also a Soviet biological weapons base, making it off limits to people. 

This had the unintended effect of protecting the saiga on the island from poachers. 

But in 2018 restrictions were lifted, making the island accessible and a poaching hotspot. 

There are also plans for economic development on and around Resurrection Island, which could threaten the saigas future. 

The Uzbekistan government, businesses and local communities are, however, open to supporting saiga conservation.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species is therefore supporting a five-year project, led by a mother-and-daughter team, Elena and Olya, of the Saiga Conservation Alliance. 

The Alliance is a network of researchers and conservationists who have worked together for over 15 years to study and protect the animal. 

The project will help prepare Resurrection Island for emerging, sustainable, eco-friendly tourism such as birdwatching and stargazing. 

These offer opportunities for local communities and businesses, lessening the need for poaching. There are also plans to apply for UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status for Resurrection Island so that this habitat, and the wildlife depending on it, can be kept safe. 

Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic. 

It's known for its mosques, mausoleums and other sites linked to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. 

Samarkand, a major city on the route, contains a landmark of Islamic architecture: the Registan, a plaza bordered by three ornate, mosaic-covered religious schools dating to the 15th and 17th centuries. 

There is the opportunity for those wishing to make a donation to the project : https://donate.ptes.org/newpublic/intindex2.aspx?content=saigas&utm_campaign=Saiga%20Cash%20email%20June%202022&utm_source=emailCampaign&ut m_content=&utm_medium=email. 

www.saiga-conservation.org and www.ptes.org 

Nida Al-Fulaij at reply@email-ptes.org