Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

Large landscape-scale steppe grassland conservation in Kazakhstan

Daniel Rosengren

Founded in 2006, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative aims to restore Kazakhstan’s grassland landscapes and revitalise its saiga antelope populations. This effort - involving a number of CCI partners - has led to a remarkable recovery, with numbers growing from fewer than 40,000 to over 2.8 million.

Why are collaborative projects like Altyn Dala so important?

“CCI was founded with the vision to foster and catalyse innovative collaboration between conservation organisations, on the premise that proximity, investment, and knowledge exchange will enhance efforts to restore global biodiversity and build essential capacity.

The Altyn Dala project is a testament to the value of CCI, benefiting from extensive and ongoing collaboration between CCI partners such as BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, IUCN’s Red List Unit, the RSPB, TRAFFIC, and the Masters in Conservation Leadership. Everyone involved is playing to their strengths and adding enormous value to this ambitious initiative. As part of a growing list of collaborative projects, doesn’t Altyn Dala just go to show that CCI’s vision is absolutely right?”

Mark Day, Head of the Kazakhstan Steppe Conservation Programme at the RSPB

Altyn Dala Wins The Earthshot Prize

6th November 2024

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was named the winner of the ‘Protect and Restore Nature’ category of His Royal Highness Prince William’s Earthshot Prize 2024.

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Altyn Dala Named as One of the UN's Ten “World Restoration Flagships”

13th December, 2022

The United Nations announced their 10 World Restoration Flagship projects at the COP 15 biodiversity conference, shining the spotlight on Altyn Dala as one of the recipients of the award.

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Founded to protect the saiga antelope, the project covers 75 million hectares across the Kazakh steppes and deserts. Visible from space, a connected network of protected areas conserves habitat for the saiga and other key wildlife.

In 2023, the IUCN Red List upgraded the saiga antelope’s status from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened. Thanks to this collaborative initiative, their population has surged from under 40,000 in 2005 to 2.8 million roaming Kazakhstan’s steppes.

These amazing figures now mean that Kazakhstan supports more than 95% of the global population of saiga antelope, with the steppes also providing a home for other important wildlife such as ground squirrels, larks and iconic steppe eagles. What’s more, as the project progresses, it continues to provide jobs for local people and enhance the understanding of the unique habitats and wildlife found in Kazakhstan through research such as satellite tracking.

The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), part of BirdLife International, is the lead organisation for the project, with financial and technical support from other partners, including Fauna & Flora, Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), and the RSPB. The project works in partnership with the Government of Kazakhstan’s Committee for Forestry and Wildlife, part of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources.

If you’d like more information on the project please do visit their website: altyndala.org