Altyn Dala: Reviving Kazakhstan's Golden Steppe and Saiga Antelope

Launched in 2006, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative unites Kazakh government agencies with international partners including Fauna & Flora, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and the RSPB to protect the country's steppe and semi-desert landscapes. Its work combines scientific monitoring, anti-poaching patrols, new nature reserves, and ecological corridors that safeguard the long-distance migrations of the critically depleted saiga antelope. The saiga population it protects has rebounded from around 39,000 animals in 2005 to nearly two million today, a recovery recognized with the 2024 Earthshot Prize.