The Forestry and Wildlife Committee has prolonged the ban on the use of saiga products until 2024, QazMonitor reports citing the committee’s press service.
Due to the decline in population during the 2000s, the government has taken several comprehensive measures to protect the endangered species, including a moratorium on using saiga for production.
Currently, their number has reached 1.3 million. Kazakhstan serves as a home for more than 90% of the species’ global population. Due to this rapid growth, saiga antelope began competing with farm animals for pastures and watering places.
The ministry of ecology and natural resources is planning to conduct a scientific study of the saiga population in 2023 as part of the species’ population management. As of now, their optimal numbers are estimated to be in the range of 700-800 thousand heads.
The study will examine the following questions:
1) Forecasting the development of the saiga population;
2) Specification of the range and migration routes of saigas;
3) Study of saiga foraging habits;
4) Proposals to reduce competition with agriculture.
