Bonn, 23 May - The Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Bakhtiar T. Gulyamov, paid a visit to the CMS Secretariat today to sign the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of the Antelope. Uzbekistan is the second Range State after Turkmenistan to sign the MoU after it was opened for signature at the 8th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in November 2005.

Urgent conservation measures became necessary after Saiga populations suffered a severe decline of 90% since the early 1990s. During the last decade numbers plummeted from more than 1 million to no more than 40,000 in Central Asia. Already in 2001, CMS started conceptual work on the MoU and Action Plan with an aim to stop the loss and restore populations as quickly as possible. As early as May 2002 CMS supported a workshop in Elista, Kalmykia, Russian Federation, to discuss first draft proposals. In the process Uzbekistan then gave a lead to Range States by initiating the listing of the Saiga Antelope on CMS Appendix II at the 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties in September 2002. CMS continued work with the Range States in the margins of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in November 2004. China and Mongolia joined the dialogue, which helped to give the final push to the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding.

CMS Executive Secretary Robert Hepworth acknowledged Uzbekistan’s commitment to the conservation of the endangered antelope sub-species: “Uzbekistan is the first CMS Party to sign this Memorandum as a Range State. I am confident that this will give the remaining Range States another reason to join the MoU. It would be an enormous boost to Saiga conservation efforts, if Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation would also sign the MoU. Central Asia has a unique biodiversity, which needs to be conserved. At the invitation of the Government of Kazakhstan, CMS is already organising the first Saiga MoU Range State Meeting in September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in coordination with CITES, which also has a major interest in this species because international trade is a primary threat to the Saiga’s survival. The MoU meeting, promises to be another milestone in the history of Saiga conservation.”

The upcoming meeting will be innovative as it is the first time that a meeting is held so soon after CMS has opened the MoU for signature. A Technical Workshop and a Partnership Initiative will be convened by the IUCN Antelopes Specialist Group with funding from the European Commission, the Government of Germany, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, CITES and CMS. Experts, NGOs and interested organizations will provide their suggestions on the implementation of the MoU and the Action Plan. The MoU will benefit from the expertise of CITES and other partner organizations pledging their commitment to its implementation.

Ambassador Gulyamov is looking forward to conserving the Saiga Antelope that has become so rare: “There is every reason to implement the MoU and attend this first very important meeting. As an MoU signatory and Party to the Convention, Uzbekistan will contribute to implementing conservation actions on the ground for Saiga Antelopes. I am optimistic that this will give further momentum to cooperation on a regional level.”

Mr. Lyle Glowka who prepared the MoU as CMS Agreements Officer highlighted the importance of Central Asia for the Convention: “Today’s signature strengthens the mosaic of conservation measures implemented under the aegis of the Convention. Central Asia is an extremely important crossroad not only for Saiga Antelopes, but other migratory species like the Bukhara Deer, Snow Leopard, Mongolian Gazelle, Bactrian Camel, Wild Ass and a myriad of waterbirds. The Saiga MoU along with other CMS initiatives on Central Asian aridland migratory species demonstrates the Convention’s strong commitment to the region.”

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