Protected areas for antelopes

Animal: Saiga antelopes

The Saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica) almost became extinct in the 1920s. The population then recovered to reach almost two million animals. However, Saiga antelope numbers have again fallen sharply over recent years owing to intensive hunting and the loss of their habitat. The animals have also been hit by a deadly infectious disease since 2015.

Icarus aims to foster the protection of Saiga antelopes. The data will indicate which regions are of importance to their survival. This will allow designated protected areas to be created where the animals can take refuge in the rutting season, for the birth of their offspring and during migratory movement.

Location: Russia

Contact: Viatcheslav Rozhnov, Anna Yachmennikova, Tatiana Karimova and Anna Lushchekina, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

(Due to the war in Ukraine, the Russian space agency Roskosmos has terminated its cooperation with many partners. This also affects the Icarus project on the International Space Station ISS. The transmission of data from the ISS was stopped on March 3, 2022.

The research team is currently considering alternative options for continuing Icarus independent of the ISS. One option is to operate its own small satellite to receive the data from the animals it transmits. In the meantime, the team is investigating whether the data can be read out from individual animals that have been transmitted on Earth.)