Saiga Conservation Alliance's USFWS Project
Conservation funding often goes to individual projects, leading to missed opportunities for collaboration and shared learning. Short-term funding can produce good results, but valuable knowledge may not be shared beyond project teams. Investing in capacity-building is crucial, but there's potential to extend this support to a broader audience
For saigas, there's a chance to change this approach. There's a strong global community of saiga researchers and conservationists, supported by the Saiga MOU. This agreement, in place since 2006, involves all saiga range states and major NGOs. Regular meetings help coordinate efforts and provide advice on conservation strategies.
However, collaborations are mostly limited to range states and China, with little involvement from other countries in the trade chain. Strengthening these connections could improve understanding and intervention strategies for saiga conservation.
This project aims to create the opportunity to engage across projects as well as promoting ongoing learning and evidence-generation and to generate investment in capacity-building.
Goal: To bring together all stakeholders involved in saiga conservation, especially those funded by USFWS grants, to boost our collective impact on the species' status and ecosystem role. This collaboration will ensure USFWS's investment in saiga conservation leaves a lasting impact, creating a platform for supply chain cooperation and knowledge sharing. Additionally, it will help train a new generation of saiga conservation experts worldwide. We also want to explore opportunities to collaborate with colleagues working on USFWS-funded projects for cheetah conservation, such as inviting them to workshops and sharing training resources
China - In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society. An Evidence-Based Approach to Catalyze Reduction of Illegal Saiga Horn Trade in China.
Japan & Singapore - In partnership with Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford. Reducing demand for saiga horn in Japan and Singapore.
Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan - In partnership with Fauna and Flora. Strengthening Local Capacity to Lead Evidence-Based Conservation of Saiga in Their Native Habitats in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Malaysia - In partnership with TRAFFIC International. Taking Stock: Establishing an Effective Saiga Horn Stockpile Management System in Malaysia.
Mongolia - In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Tackling Saiga Antelope Horn Sourcing and Trafficking in Mongolia through an Evidence-Based Approach to Improve Law and Policy Enforcement Activities.
The USFWS Species Conservation Catalyst Fund is a unique opportunity to build both a systemic understanding of the drivers and leverage points for saiga use and trade, and to build a foundation for long-term collaborative networks to implement, and adaptively manage, conservation actions. This will work best if all the stakeholders collaborate together to ensure that they maximise opportunities for synergy and learning across countries, stages in the supply chain, and stakeholder types.