This is a project under Defra’s Small Environmental Projects Scheme, and is led by Iu.A. Arylov, with Imperial College as the UK partner.

Period: October 2005 - September 2006

Collaborators:

Professor Iu.A. Arylov, Centre for the Study and Conservation of Wild Animals of Kalmykia - Project leader

Dr A.A. Lushchekina, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow - Technical Consultant

Project aim:

To create a livestock bank linking improved livelihoods of the rural poor with cessation of saiga poaching around the Chernye Zemli Reserve.

Objectives:

· To convert our understanding of the development needs of local people into action, targetting the poorest members of communities near the CZBR for support.

· To link explicitly support for rural livelihoods with action to protect the critically endangered saiga antelope.

· To engage local people, particularly children, in activities promoting sustainable regeneration of the rural economy, and to promote pride in their natural environment.

· To create a partnership for action between local people, protected area managers, saiga conservationists, and local government.

Activities:

Our previous research shows that a single dairy cow can transform the lives of the poorest families. We will use the land and facilities available near the CWA’s Saiga Breeding Centre to establish a small herd of a premium local breed of pasture cattle (Kalmykian Red cattle). This herd will form the basis of a rotating cow fund, linking village cooperation in reducing poaching to concrete support for poor families. Target villages are those around the CZWR where poaching is occurring but villagers are keen to cease poaching and work with us instead. They will be selected through discussion with village authorities, and on the basis of our previous research under the Darwin project. We will work with village committees, who will develop transparent rules for allocating cows to families, based on need. Continued participation in the scheme is conditional on the village fulfilling its obligations not to tolerate poaching in its area, either by villagers or outsiders, but instead to report it to the authorities.

Households receiving a cow will also be given support to ensure they have the facilities to keep it, and will be provided with fodder and veterinary support for the duration of the project. The firstborn female calf from the cow will be returned to the fund, for redistribution to the next family. CWA will help in marketing the dairy produce, including subsidising the provision of dairy products to local schools. This will be linked with publicity about the scheme in the local media and through leaflets, talks and posters, particularly in the target villages and schools.

The long-term aim is to build an explicit link between development of the livestock sector and the activities of the CZBR and CWA, such that they are seen as integral parts of the rural economy of Kalmykia. The rotating cow scheme is planned to expand to include all villages in the area of the CZBR. It will form the core of the development of the CWA Saiga Breeding Centre as the main visitor attraction of Kalmykia (for locals as well as tourists/business visitors), tat markets locally sustainably produced items as well as providing information and raising environmental awareness.

Outputs:

· Two poor families will receive cows, veterinary support, fodder & infrastructure.

· Two participating villages will link development activities to saiga antelope conservation, and will ensure that poaching incidents are reported in their area, and that villagers do not poach.

· Local schoolchildren will receive fresh dairy produce and information about the importance of conserving the local environment and of ensuring that revival of the livestock sector is environmentally sustainable.

· The CWA’s Saiga Breeding Centre will be promoted as a visitor attraction, environmental awareness centre and a hub for the sale of high quality local produce.

· Local publicity in newspapers and television will highlight the global importance of Kalmykia’s wildlife, particularly saigas, and the concept of supporting the livelihoods of the poorest people as a locally appropriate solution to poverty-induced poaching.

· National and international promotion of this proactive and participatory approach to sustainable management of Russia’s natural resources, and of the conservation needs of the saiga antelope.

Links:

Website for our collaborators in Russia

Small Environmental Projects Scheme