As the SCA’s annual awards programme returns in 2023 – read more about the full programme – we look back on 10 years of the programme and understand the impact on international networking and capacity building.
Young Conservation Leader opened on 1 March 2023 – Download the application form
Young Conservation Leader is one of those awards. Through YCL we aim to increase the number of students and young people working with the SCA as young conservation leaders.
In 2021 SCA awarded Ekaterina Berezina Young Conservation Leader award. Ekaterina is a Master’s student and Research assistant at the Department of Vertebrate Zoology, St. Petersburg State University. Ekaterina studies mammals behaviour, she’s participated in research expeditions to Bolshoi Solovetsky Archipelago (Arkhangelsk region) and to the Stepnoi Reserve (Astrakhan region). In the Solovetsky archipelago, she studied the behaviour of a beluga whale and in the Stepnoi Reserve studied the behaviour and group dynamics of saiga near an artesian wells with camera traps.
SCA’s Young Conservation Leader award to Ekaterina supportered her Stepnoi research.
Ekaterina made two trips to the Stepnoi Reserve: December 7-17, 2021 and July 2-28, 2022 collecting 38,151 images (10,842 of which were of saiga) from 3 cameras. 10 large capacity SD cards full
During the processing of the images, 33 species of animals of medium and large sizes were recorded, 24 species of birds including such rare protected species as the steppe eagle, demoiselle crane, black vulture and 9 species of mammals. Steppe wolves visited camera traps 102 times.
Ekaterina’s research established age, sex composition and behaviours of groups of saiga across 3 watering holes in the Stepnoi Reserve.
The peak of saiga activity at watering holes is in the first half of the day (from dawn to mid-afternoon). Almost all recorded saigas visit this area during daylight hours. In the evening, the number of saiga visits decreases.
Average group size was established as approximately 13 saigas in both 2020 and 2021, with the average number of adult males in groups increasing from 3 in 2020 up to 5 in 2021. Male make up approximately 30% of the average group size.
Seasonal variances in group dynamics were observed, in the winter months saiga groups vision the watering hole averaged 4 individuals, in the summer months the average group size was 16 individuals. The largest group of saigas was recorded in September 2020 – 145 individuals in the frame of a camera trap.
Groups primarily of females with calves visit watering holes from June to October, the earliest sighting of a group with calves was May 1. Groups consisting exclusively of males are often found in November and December.
We caught up with Ekaterina recently. Why taking part in YCL was important to her Ekaterina told SCA:
‘I wanted to expand my contribution to the conservation of the saiga population. Also, the results may expand the information on the distribution of the wolf population in the territory of Stepnoi Reserve.’
Since taking part in YCL Ekaterina has expressed what she wishes to do in her career:
‘I hope to continue studying and field research of the behaviour of vertebrates in the wild. I hope that my research will help in the development of new field research methods that do not cause disturbance to wild animals, while allowing reliable conclusions to be drawn about their condition and behaviour.’
Young Conservation Leader opened on 1 March 2023 – Download the application form