
Saiga Conservation Alliance
October 17, 2020
11:45 am PDT
Across the steppe and semi-arid deserts of Central Asia and Russia, the saiga antelope faces worse threats than the harsh climate. Over a 15 year period, the saiga population dwindled from millions to just the few hundred thousand surviving today due to extensive hunting for their meat and horns. The Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA) protects saiga throughout their range and closely monitors herd health. SCA engages local communities heavily to build national pride in the saiga, incorporate them into cultural events, and teach young people about the future of saiga conservation. Recently, the saiga population has begun to slightly increase thanks in part to the efforts of SCA.
SPEAKERS

Elena Bykova
Co-founder
Elena Bykova holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and has over 25 years of experience as a field zoologist. She is the head of the laboratory for endangered species evaluation at the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, and a Co-founder of Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA). Since 2004, she has been actively involved in saiga conservation in Uzbekistan. As SCA’s Program Director for Uzbekistan, Elena’s projects focus on studying the unique saiga antelope and protecting its semi-desert habitat. She dedicates much of her time to encouraging community engagement in saiga conservation and involving government agencies to support SCA’s mission of ensuring sustainable and long-term saiga ecosystem protection.
