Conservation of wildlife in Central Asia

This has been an ongoing research interest of the group, centring around the ecology and conservation of the saiga antelope. However, we also have interests in the effects of changes in the rural economy on land degradation in Kazakhstan, and on broader issues of conservation in Central Asia, including red listing. We also have a long-standing interest in the ecology and conservation of Mongolian gazelles.

Conservation and ecology of the saiga antelope

Our current and recent saiga projects include:

Scaling up human and animal decision-making for effective conservation action

Monitoring the progress of the CMS MOU on saiga conservation

Participatory monitoring of saiga antelope conservation

In 2007 Aline Kuhl finished her PhD on saiga conservation ecology (download it here), and we also have a number of publications on saigas available on our publications page.

We publish the e-bulletin Saiga News twice a year.

You can find out more about our practical work for saiga conservation at the website of the Saiga Conservation Alliance, of which E.J. is Chair.

Selected publications

Milner-Gulland, E.J., Kerven, C., Behnke, R., Wright, I., Smailov, A. (2006) A multi-agent system model of pastoralist behaviour in Kazakhstan. Ecological Complexity 3: 23-36.

Morgan, E.R., Torgerson, P.R., Shaikenov, B., Medley, G.F., Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2006) Agricultural restructuring and gastrointestinal parasitism in domestic ruminants on the rangelands of Kazakhstan. Veterinary Parasitology 139, 180-191

Morgan, E.R., Shaikenov, B., Torgerson, P.R., Medley, G.F., Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2005) Helminths of saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan: Implications for conservation and livestock production. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41, 149-162

Lundervold, M., Milner-Gulland, E.J., O’Callaghan, C., Hamblin, C., Corteyn, A., Macmillan, A.P. (2004) A serological survey of ruminant livestock in Kazakhstan during post-Soviet transitions in farming and disease control. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 45, 211-224.

Robinson, S., Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2003) Political change and factors limiting numbers of wild and domestic ungulates in Kazakhstan. Human Ecology 31, 87-110.

Robinson, S., Milner-Gulland, E.J., Alimaev, I. (2003) Rangeland degradation in Kazakhstan during the Soviet era: re-examining the evidence. Journal of Arid Environments 53, 419-439.

Lundervold, M., Milner-Gulland, E.J., O’Callaghan, C., Hamblin, C. (2003) First evidence of bluetongue virus in Kazakhstan. Veterinary Microbiology 92, 281-287.

Robinson, S., Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2003) Contraction in livestock mobility resulting from state farm re-organisation. Prospects for pastoralists in Kazakstan and Turkmenistan: From State farms to private flocks. Chapter 7, pages 128-145. Ed. C. Kerven. Routledge Curzon, London.