Why do we need to #savethesaiga?

Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, promotes ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter the size, has a role to play. Healthy ecosystems provide us numerous natural resources and services, including food, pollution breakdown, and cultural values.

Sadly, human activity has been causing massive extinctions, dramatically reducing biodiversity on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), every 1 mammal out of 4 are threatened with extinction. The saiga antelope is one of these species. The IUCN first classified the saiga as vulnerable in 1996 and updated this to critically endangered in 2002. A global population that used to be well above one million in the early 1980s has declined by 90%. In 2016, less than 130,000 saigas were estimated to be left. 

 

A young male saiga. Photograph: Saiga Resource Centre

The saiga antelope is an important biomass consumer helping maintain the steppe ecosystem. Hence the conservation of saigas is also critical to many other species that share this habitat. Much effort has already been put into saiga conservation with good results, however the mass mortality events have again pushed the species to the brink of extinction. To apply conservation efforts with effective and long lasting impacts, we must first solve the mystery behind these mass mortality events. The exploration of the saiga microbiome is part of this complex puzzle. 

Please help us #savethesaiga and share our campaign page with any friends and colleagues interested in science and conservation. There is no minimum size of donation and all donations are highly appreciated!