From feast to famine on the steppes
D AVID P. MALLON
The Eurasian steppes, the grasslands extending from with recent fragmentation and population declines Hungary to northern China, are grazed by a suite of endemic (Kholodova et al., ). Two key attributes of the saiga ungulates that include Przewalski’s horse Equus ferus, wild are the horns of the males, which are valued in traditional ass Equus hemionus, goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, Asian medicine, and that females can mate at – months Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa and saiga antelope and commonly bear twins, and thus the species is capable Saiga tatarica. This ecosystem—a biodiversity coldspot of rapid population increases. Tragically, however, exces- (Entwistle, )—has been fragmented and degraded sive hunting reduced herds numbering in the millions to through overgrazing and conversion to agriculture. Much c. , by the early th century. The species received of the literature on this ecosystem is in Russian but valuable legal protection in , however, and benefited from sub- contributions in English were made by two of the greatest sequent protection measures (Dementiev, ; Bannikov, authorities on the ecology of this region. Dementiev () ). The scale of the recovery was spectacular (Linnard, reviewed wildlife conservation in the USSR, and Bannikov ): by saiga numbers had reached , in () underlined the importance of the expanding system Russia and ,, in Kazakhstan, with harvests resum- of zapovedniks (strict nature reserves) in the recovery of spe- ing in and , respectively, on an industrial scale; cies that had been depleted by overhunting, including the west of the Volga ,–, saiga were harvested saiga antelope. per year during –. Quotas were set to avoid over- Both the Mongolian gazelle and saiga antelope have been harvesting of males, and the regulated harvest continued hunted for their meat, hides and the horns of the males, and until . Soon after, however, came the first indications in more recent times they have been exploited for com- that all was not well, with reports from Russia of a popu- mercial harvests. Crawford () advocated the saiga as lation decline and excessive poaching of males (Milner- an ideal species for a sustainable, large-scale harvest. Gulland, ). Although both species are susceptible to mass die-offs The dissolution of the USSR in and the switch from disease and extreme weather, their fortunes have di- from a centralized to a market economy resulted in the verged. The nomadic Mongolian gazelle still dwells in huge withdrawal of subsidies and protected area budgets, the herds on the Daurian steppes of eastern Mongolia and neigh- collapse of nature protection systems, and an economic bouring areas of China and Russia. Although its range is only crisis. International borders opened up, enhancing the op- c. % of its former extent in China as a result of uncontrolled portunities for trading saiga horn. The impact was cata- hunting (Wang et al., ) and has shrunk similarly in strophic: poachers flooded into saiga range to obtain Mongolia, numbers remain high, with estimates of , horns, and large numbers were killed locally for meat. in and . million in (Lhagvasuren & Milner- The largest population fell to %ofits size and Gulland, ). A – survey estimated the population other populations also suffered large reductions to be ,–,, (Olson et al., ), and a herd of (Milner-Gulland et al., ). Evidence from Russia pointed c. , was recorded in (Olson et al., ). to selective harvesting, with a small proportion of adult males Such wide variations in numbers illustrate the logistical and many females without young, bringing the population and methodological issues involved in estimating the popu- close to reproductive collapse (Milner-Gulland et al., ). lation size of ungulates that have extensive ranges and The full scale of the disaster, and the response, was set clumped distributions. These issues are often compounded out by Arylov et al. (). Most populations of saiga by poor study design, inadequate sampling, and failure to were declining, with that in Kazakhstan having fallen to appreciate sources of error and bias or to account for detect- , in .In saiga moved directly from the lowest ability (Singh & Milner-Gulland, ). category of threat on the IUCN Red List to the highest, There are five saiga populations, and the Mongolian Critically Endangered, and a Convention on Migratory subspecies S. tatarica mongolica, which is isolated by the Species Saiga Memorandum of Understanding and action Altai mountains, is genetically distinct, whereas the other plan were developed. Substantial investments were made populations (of S. tatarica tatarica), in Kalmykia, Russia, in anti-poaching, aerial surveys, and protected areas in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are polyphyletic, consistent Kazakhstan, and an emergency decree was passed in Russia, actions supported by national and international NGOs and by CITES. DAVID P. MALLON Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester St., Manchester, M1 5GD, UK For the Endangered Mongolian saiga, Young et al. E-mail [email protected] () estimated , and , in and ,
Oryx, 2016, 50(2), 189–190 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S003060531600017X Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.226, on 27 Sep 2021 at 18:55:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060531600017X 190 David P. Mallon
respectively, although the confidence intervals were wide. Acknowledgements The most recent population estimate is c. , and, al- though the use of different census methods precludes dir- I thank Martin Fisher and E.J. Milner-Gulland for their ect comparisons with previous surveys, the population comments and critiques. may be growing (Milner-Gulland, ). A target of , Mongolian saiga by ,setina conserva- tion planning workshop (WCS, ), could therefore be References attained. As a result of conservation measures S. tatarica tatarica ARYLOV.,Y.,BADMAEV, V., BEKENOV, A., CHIMEG, J., ENTWISTLE, A., stabilized or increased overall (Milner-Gulland, ). The GRACHEV, Y.A. et al. () The saiga antelope–teetering on the brink but still cause for hope. Oryx, , –. largest population, in Betpak-dala, Kazakhstan, grew % – – BANNIKOV,A.G.( ) Wildlife protection in the USSR. Oryx, , annually during , again demonstrating the resili- . ence of the species and the value of an internationally CRAWFORD,M.() Conservation by utilisation. Oryx, , –. supported conservation programme. This news was balanced DEMENTIEV, G.P. () Nature protection in the U.S.S.R. Oryx, , – in part by setbacks in three other populations: poaching and . — – other factors reduced saiga numbers in Russia and caused a ENTWISTLE,A.( ) Eurasia a biodiversity coldspot? Oryx, , . %decreaseinUstiurtduring–, and in May a FISHER,M.() Fall, resurrection and uncertainty: an Arabian tale. disease outbreak killed c. , saiga in the Ural population, a Oryx, , –. % loss. Nevertheless, numbers increased overall and by HOWE, C., OBGENOVA,O.&MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () spring there were . , saiga in Kazakhstan, plus Evaluating the effectiveness of a public awareness campaign as a a few thousand in Russia. Then, in September ,another conservation intervention: the saiga antelope Saiga tatarica in Kalmykia, Russia. Oryx, , –. mass die-off occurred in Betpak-dala, with at least , KHOLODOVA, M., MILNER-GULLAND, E.J., EASTON, A.J., AMGALAN, ( % of that population) dying in weeks (Milner-Gulland, L., ARYLOV, I.A., BEKENOV,A.etal.() Mitochondrial DNA ). The cause appeared to be Pasteurella interacting with variation and population structure of the Critically Endangered as yet unidentified environmental triggers, similar to the saiga antelope Saiga tatarica. Oryx, , –. die-off in . LHAGVASUREN,B.&MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () The status and Twice in the last years the saiga antelope has re- management of the Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa population. Oryx, , –. bounded from critically low levels following protection LINNARD,W.() The saiga. Oryx, , –. from overhunting. Only time will tell if it can recover MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () Sustainable management of the saiga again while coping with the emerging threats of disease antelope. Oryx, , –. and environmental change but there is cause for hope MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () Saiga antelope suffers three blows. – (Milner-Gulland, ). The other abundant species of Oryx, , . MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () Catastrophe and hope for the saiga. the steppes, the Mongolian gazelle, is currently categorized Oryx, , –. as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List but faces a series of MILNER-GULLAND, E.J., KHOLODOVA, M.V., BEKENOV, A., potential threats that leave no room for complacency. BUKREEVA, O.M., GRACHEV, I.A., AMGALAN,L.&LUSHCHEKINA, These two species have not undergone the same crisis as A.A. () Dramatic declines in saiga antelope populations. Oryx, – that faced by the Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx, formerly ex- , . OLSON, K.A., FULLER, T.K., SCHALLER, G.B., ODONKHUU,D.& tinct in the wild (Fisher, ). However, the task is not just MURRAY,M.(). Population density of Mongolian gazelles as to prevent their extinction but also to conserve their large estimated by driving long-distance transects. Oryx, , –. herds and nomadic and migratory character, features that OLSON, K.A., MUELLER, T., BOLORTSETSEG, S., LEIMGRUBER,P., cannot be replicated in miniature or preserved in captivity. FAGAN,W.F.&FULLER, T.K. () A mega herd of more than These species are also an integral component of the steppe , Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa: a consequence of habitat quality. Oryx, , –. ecosystem, a sustainable resource if managed appropriately, REDFORD, K.H, BERGER,J.&ZACK,S.() Abundance as a and a part of the culture of Central Asia, whose peoples re- conservation value. Oryx, , –. tain an interest in their conservation (Howe et al., ). The SINGH, N.J. & MILNER-GULLAND, E.J. () Monitoring ungulates in sometimes vast numbers of these two species are a reminder Central Asia: current constraints and future potential. Oryx, , of the importance of abundance as a conservation value –. (Redford et al., )—such huge herds are a spectacle WANG, X., SHENG, H., BI,J.&LI,M.( ) Recent history and status of the Mongolian gazelle in Inner Mongolia, China. Oryx, , –. that can inspire and build connections with the natural WCS (WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY)() Mongolian Saiga world, both among conservationists and the public. Conservation Workshop. Oryx, , –. YOUNG, J.K., MURRAY, K.M., STRINDBERG, S., BUUVEIBAATAR,B.& To mark Volume of Oryx this Editorial and the references BERGER,J.() Population estimates of Endangered Mongolian cited herein are freely available as a virtual issue of the jour- saiga Saiga tatarica mongolica: implications for effective monitoring nal at http://journals.cambridge.org/orx and population recovery. Oryx, , –.
Oryx, 2016, 50(2), 189–190 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S003060531600017X Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.226, on 27 Sep 2021 at 18:55:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060531600017X