ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 12 to conserve and restore the saiga population, focusing on protecting migration routes and restoring the species’ natural habitats.
Photo credit: Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan.
The document was signed by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Alibek Kuantyrov and Uzbekistan’s Chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Alibek Kuantyrov and Uzbekistan’s Chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov. Photo credit: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
The memorandum aims to coordinate efforts to conserve saigas, protect their transboundary migration routes and restore their natural habitats. Under the agreement, the two countries plan to jointly monitor saiga numbers, migration patterns, and health; exchange scientific data; and use satellite tracking and veterinary monitoring methods.
One of the key areas of cooperation will be restoring saiga populations in their historical habitats. To achieve this, the parties intend to develop a reintroduction program, coordinate animal relocation efforts, and restore natural pastures and water bodies.
The memorandum also prioritizes efforts to combat poaching and illegal trade. The countries plan to conduct joint conservation patrols and develop transboundary protected areas and migration corridors.
Further cooperation will include joint research, exchanges of expertise among specialists and the involvement of international organizations in conservation projects.
Satellite tracking and seasonal migration
Satellite telemetry is already an important tool in Kazakhstan’s saiga conservation efforts. Wildlife experts explained how tracking equipment maps saiga movements and helps identify ways to protect the animals during an online event organized by the Global Rewilding Alliance on May 23, 2025.
“ACBK was founded in 2004, and during all of this time, it has grown into the largest national biodiversity conservation NGO in Kazakhstan. Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative is one of the biggest initiatives within ACBK with wider national and international partnership,” said Alyona Krivosheyeva, ACBK’s conservation director.
Seasonal migration also highlights the importance of protecting routes that cross administrative and national borders. In late December 2025, large groups of saigas moved into the Aral district of the Kyzylorda Region, drawing public attention. Wildlife officials described the movement as a natural winter migration driven by snow depth and food availability.
According to Rasul Makhanov, head of the regional branch of the state enterprise Okhotzooprom, saigas from the Kostanai, Aktobe and Ulytau regions move south when deep snow makes it difficult to find food.
“They come in search of pasture. This is a natural process,” Makhanov told Kazinform.
At the time, an estimated 60,000 to 65,000 saigas were in the Syrdarya area, with more than 30,000 concentrated in the Aral district.
Population growth and conservation challenges
Kazakhstan is home to three saiga populations: Ural, Betpak-Dala and Ustyurt. A census conducted in April and May 2025 during the calving season recorded 3,978,000 animals. The Ural population accounted for 2.3 million, Betpak-Dala for 1.6 million, and Ustyurt for 78,000.
Separately, data reported in April 2025 put the country’s saiga population at a record 4.1 million.
Makhanov noted that saiga numbers can fluctuate significantly, with severe winters posing a particular threat. He recalled that a harsh winter in 1992, marked by deep snow, caused extensive saiga deaths and reduced their numbers to an estimated 15,000.
The Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan initiative is aimed at ensuring the long-term conservation of the species, protecting biodiversity and strengthening environmental cooperation in Central Asia.
