Fauna & Flora International

The Purpose of This Project Is to Counter the Trafficking of Wildlife Products in Kazakhstan and to Conserve the Critically Endangered Saiga Antelope (saiga Tatarica) With a Focus on the Ustyurt Saiga Population. the Project Will Address the Poaching of Saiga and Trafficking in Saiga Horn and Derivatives, Which Is Becoming More Sophisticated and Adaptive to Law Enforcement Responses. Specific Activities of This Two-year Grant Include: (1) Strategic Redeployment of Active Sniffer Dogs and Police, and the Introduction of an Additional 10 Sniffer Dogs Along Identified Trade Routes and Hotspots; (2) Support for Innovative Technologies, Including Drones and Camera Traps, to Improve Monitoring Effectiveness Across the Vast Ustyurt Plateau; (3) Strengthening Ranger Capacity Using Smart and Applying Measures to Ensure Appropriate Ranger Health and Safety; (4) Data Gathering of Local Socio-economic and Cultural Factors to Advance Understanding of the Drivers for Poaching; (5) a Comprehensive Training Program for Law Enforcement Agencies; (6) Implementation of Inter-agency Data Management and Seizure Protocols for Wildlife Trafficking; (7) Analysis of Trafficked Wildlife Products and Development of Consistent Identification Methods; and (8) Support to Convene Neighboring Countries Towards a More Coordinated Transboundary Response to Wildlife Crime. This Proposal Has Been Informed by Learning Gained From Previous Usfws-funded Activities (2016-2019).