Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative wins Earthshot Prize

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, led by SRT grantee partner The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, (ACBK), has won the 2024 Earthshot Prize in the Protect and Restore Nature category. This award recognises the initiative’s vital contributions to preserving Kazakhstan’s unique ecosystems, and within that the population of Saiga Antelope, which has surged from around 40,000 in 2005, to 2.8 million today.

Established in 2004, ACBK has been at the forefront of biodiversity conservation across Kazakhstan, focusing on safeguarding endangered species and restoring critical habitats in one of the world’s most ecologically diverse yet vulnerable landscapes.

In 2005, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was launched as a long-term partnership between ACBK, the Kazakh Government and three other NGOs; Fauna & Flora, Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) . The initiative aimed to protect and restore critical habitats across Kazakhstan’s steppes, including safeguarding the saiga antelope, which had become ‘critically endangered’ due to poaching and habitat loss. ACBK has driven much of the initiative’s work, combining scientific research with on-the-ground conservation and robust community involvement. Their work in tracking and studying the saiga migrations, providing relevant data to expand the network of state protected areas in steppe ecosystems, and collaborating with law-enforcement to implement anti-poaching programmes, has been vital in bringing the species back from the brink.

Saiga antelope and calves, Kazakhstan © Daniel Rosengren / ACBK

The Earthshot Prize noted; “Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative has achieved the almost unprecedented feat: saving the critically endangered Saiga Antelope from extinction. This mission has grown into one of the world’s largest conservation projects – to protect and restore Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe.”

The Prize recognised and celebrated not only the achievements of the initiative, but also its model, with ACBK’s approach when local knowledge is considered, and new technologies are crucial with data collection. This involves working on collecting evidence for right decisions, and building support for protected areas developments and engagement of local communities to conservation that benefit both people and nature.

Executive Director of ACBK and the Chair of Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative Vera Voronova concluded that; “Winning The Earthshot Prize is not only an incredible honour, but also a testament to the power of collaboration in conservation…. Altyn Dala demonstrates that when governments and civil society work together with a shared vision, we can achieve remarkable results.”

The Earthshot Prize was established by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough in 2020. It is a global award for innovations that contribute to the restoration of our planet. The prize has five categories, with the winner in each category being granted £1 million.