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This thesis combines an investigation of the ecology of a wild ungulate, the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica, Pallas), with epidemiological work on the diseases that this species shares with domestic livestock. The main focus is on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and brucellosis. The area of study was Kazakhstan (located in Central Asia, Figure 1.1), home to the largest population of saiga antelope in the world (Bekenov et al., 1998). Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 led to a dramatic economic decline, accompanied by a massive reduction in livestock numbers and a virtual collapse in veterinary services (Goskomstat, 1996; Morin, 1998a). As the rural economy has…
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, populations of saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) have declined by over 90% due to poaching for the species’ meat and horn. The assessment of population status, and consequently the management of this migratory species, is constrained by insufficient understanding of saiga biology and the anthropogenic factors driving its exploitation. This interdisciplinary study addresses this need by investigating both the species’ ecology and the socio-economic factors linked to saiga poaching in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Fieldwork was undertaken for 14 months in 2003-2006.
The UN has declared 2005 to 2014 the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. However, education is often viewed as an unalloyed good and consequently, there have been few empirical studies on the costs and benefits of different forms of education within the fields of environmental conservation and sustainable development. Likewise, studies quantifying success of conservation and sustainable development projects are also limited. Without quantitative data on either of these aspects it is difficult to translate research into action, which is vital if conservation and sustainable development strategies are to succeed.
Conservation is increasingly concerned with ‘how’ to conserve rather than ‘what’ to conserve. Efforts to improve outcomes through greater local involvement – community based conservation – have been popular but problematic. Perspectives from the social sciences suggest that simplistic conceptions of the communities involved may be to blame.
The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a migratory ungulate that inhabits the semiarid desert regions of Russia and Central Asia (Bekenov et al. 1998). The only surviving member of its genus, S.