Protecting the rare saiga antelope

Kazakhmys is helping finance a Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan project to protect the rare saiga antelope.

Once commonplace across the Eurasian steppe, numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years. Today, the saiga is listed as critically endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature.

The Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan was founded by the United Nations Development Program and the Kazakhstan Government. It is the first fund of its kind in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Money from the Fund is being used to restore the saiga's watering holes, and protect and encourage herd expansion in Kazakhstan.

The saiga survives in the steppes of northern and central Kazakhstan near to our major operations – Balkhash, Karaganda and Zhezkazgan – and we are committed to helping it thrive. During 2010, the Institute of Zoology of the Kazakh Ministry of Education and Science performed a feasibility study into restoring old watering holes in the Korgalzhyn state nature reserve: a UNESCO World Heritage site and a traditional saiga calving area. However, the reserve’s main lake is salt water, contributing to the decline in saiga numbers.

The study identified at least eight watering holes that need restoring, costing over $24,000 each. We reconstructed the first watering hole in 2010, creating a sustainable water supply for this unique creature and are continuing our support in 2011.