Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Join Forces to Protect the Endangered Saiga Antelope

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to collaborate on the conservation of the saiga antelope, a critically endangered species native to Central Asia. The two countries’ ministries of ecology are preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to formalize their cooperation.

The agreement will serve as a framework for joint conservation projects aimed at protecting and increasing the saiga population in Uzbekistan, where the species is listed in the national Red Book of endangered animals.

The saiga is a steppe-dwelling antelope that once roamed vast areas across Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and southern Russia. Its numbers have dwindled sharply in recent decades due to habitat loss, poaching, and climate change. The species is now protected under international conservation frameworks.

According to officials, the upcoming memorandum outlines plans to establish protected areas and migratory corridors to allow safe movement of saiga herds. The countries also aim to restore pastures and water sources to support feeding and breeding grounds, and to design a program for reintroducing saigas into the wild.

In addition, the partnership will include joint scientific research, knowledge-sharing initiatives, and satellite monitoring of saiga populations to better track and manage their numbers.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports that twenty-three snakes listed in Uzbekistan’s Red Book have been returned to their natural habitat in Surkhandarya.