Saiga antelope populations RUSSIA North-West Pre-Caspian
Ural
Betpak-dala
MONGOLIA
Ustiurt
RUSSIA
KAZAKHSTAN Aral Sea
CHINA Saiga antelope population Overall direction of migrations (North in summer, South in winter)
UZBEKISTAN KYRGYZSTAN IRAN
Mongolia
Lake Balqash
Caspian Sea Caspian AZERBAIJAN Sea
TURKMENISTAN
Terrestrial protected areas Source: ACBK, 2011; WWF Mongolia, Web-based GIS database on biological diversity of Mongolia; UNEP-WCMC, Protected Planet web database; Russian Committee for the UNESCO MAB Programme.
Figure 4: Saigas have been hunted since prehistoric times and today poaching remains the primary threat to this critically endangered species. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Saiga populations crashed by more than 95% within a decade. While a number of Saiga populations are starting to stabilize, three continue to be in a precarious state (North-West Pre-Caspian, Ural and Ustiurt populations). 25