ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative earned the 2024 Earthshot Prize in the Protect and Restore Nature category, as was announced at a star-studded award ceremony on Nov. 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Vera Voronova, CEO of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, accepting the Earthshot Prize for Protect and Restore Nature. Photo credit: The Earthshot Prize
According to the Earthshot Prize’s press office, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative achieved unprecedented success in protecting the critically endangered saiga antelope, growing into one of the world’s largest conservation projects. The initiative focuses on reviving Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe, one of the globe’s least protected natural ecosystems.
Vera Voronova, CEO of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) and executive director of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, noted that winning the 2024 Earthshot Prize affirms what is possible when governments and civil society work together.
“The restoration of the saiga antelope population and the revival of the Central Asian steppe are not just triumphs for wildlife but for the local communities that depend on these ecosystems,” she said.
Launched in 2005, the Altyn Dala initiative represents a partnership among the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the ACBK, Fauna and Flora International, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Over nearly two decades, the initiative has attracted around $9.5 million in foreign investment, achieving one of the world’s most successful mammal restoration efforts. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s saiga population numbers soared to an unprecedented 2.8 million.
Besides the saiga, the initiative works to preserve other rare species, such as the kulan, Przewalski’s horse, steppe eagle, and gyrfalcon.
The UN Environment Program nominated the initiative, which was chosen from 15 finalists in the 2024 Earthshot lineup.
This year’s five Earthshot winners, which include Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems, High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Keep IT Cool, and the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), each receive a £1 million ($1.3 million) grant and ongoing mentorship through the Earthshot Prize Fellowship Program.
Founded in 2020 by Prince William and inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot initiative, the Earthshot Prize aims to address urgent global challenges through its five focus areas: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
