Posted on December, 25 2014

To define distribution, location, and population of Mongolian saiga, compare the current data with the previous study results, and plan conservation activities, the current population size has been assessed with support of WWF Mongolia specialists and researches.  Final results of the field work, which was done in Sharga, Khuisiin Gobi, and Durgun Steppe in August 2014, have been available.  According to the survey results, the Mongolian saiga population has reached 13 thousand individuals.
The Mongolian Saiga is endemic to Mongolia and classified “very rare” by the Mongolian Law on Fauna (2003). It is listed as “critically endangered” by IUCN and as “very rare” in the Mongolian Red Data Book. It is included in CITES Appendix II.  The WWF Mongolia Programme Office has been actively working for the species conservation for last years and has seen the achievements including the current population size.
In the 80ies saiga were reported only within a 2.000 km2 area in the Shargiin Gobi. WWF conservation measures extended its range and increased the population to about 5.000 animals, but it collapsed again to about 800 in 2001 and 2002 as a result of harsh winters and poaching. The saiga has been saved from extinction, its numbers have increased from 2.950 in 1998 to 13.000 animals in 2014.