How we work

The Saiga Conservation Alliance’s guiding principles are to conserve the saiga antelope by working through local partnerships and to focus on sustainable long-term solutions that are based on sound science. We work collaboratively and complement the work of others in order to ensure efficient conservation action. The saiga is our target species; however we aim to conserve the steppe ecosystem as a whole, taking into account human needs as well as other species of fauna and flora. We disseminate our work widely - to those working in the conservation community, as well as governments and the public throughout the world.

We believe in strong presence and expertise on the ground - in fact, many of us have witnessed the dramatic decline of the saiga in our homelands firsthand, and together we have many decades of field research experience behind us. This allows us to work closely with all the saiga stakeholders, ranging from remote local communities out in the steppe right up to regional governments. It also ensures that we are well informed and can react quickly, while ensuring cost efficiency.

We place strong emphasis on providing the scientific building blocks for saiga conservation and contributing towards informed and incentive-driven conservation action. Our work is strengthened by strong links with other international research groups, NGOs and Conventions such as the Convention on Migratory Species.

Capacity building is another important part of our work. We train students and young scientists and work with NGOs and schools in the saiga range areas to carry out saiga-related projects. Through close interaction with law enforcement agencies, we also contribute towards the training of rangers in Russia and Kazakhstan.