Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

Kazakhstan, in the heart of Central Asia between China and Russia, is home to the world’s largest and most intact steppe grasslands: dry grassland found in Eurasian temperate climates

Since 2005, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Altyn Dala), co-founded by the RSPB, has been dedicated to protecting and restoring these precious habitats. The initiative focuses on recovering endangered species and the reintroduction of ancient species historically lost from the region.

The Saiga Antelope (Saiga) is the last survivor of the ‘Ice Age fauna’ that roamed the steppe grasslands alongside the Woolly Mammoth, Steppe Bison, and Sabre-Toothed Tiger. In intense summer heat, its swollen snout cleans air of dust, kicked up by the rest of its herd. In deep winter, their noses warm the freezing air as it enters the body to save energy. Despite being ancient and perfectly adapted to harsh seasonal changes, the Saiga faced extinction in the early 2000s.

Saiga populations naturally fluctuate due to harsh summer droughts and severe winters, as well as a nasal bacterium that can become fatally toxic under specific environmental conditions. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, rampant poaching by criminal gangs—primarily targeting male Saiga for their horns, which are highly valued in international markets for their perceived medicinal properties—led to a dramatic population decline. By 2005, estimates placed the total number of Saiga at fewer than 40,000 animals.

The perilous situation prompted the Government of Kazakhstan to urgently seek national and international assistance to prevent the species' extinction. In response, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was established in 2005, to halt and reverse the decline of Saiga while restoring the broader steppe grassland ecosystems. Efforts sustained for almost two decades have focused on a combination of scientific research, anti-poaching, and anti-smuggling activities, creating nature reserves, and establishing ecological corridors to protect Saiga during their migration.

As a result of the work of Altyn Dala partners, Saiga Antelope populations have recovered to an unprecedented level of over 2.8 million in 2024. This represents one of the most dramatic recoveries of a mammal ever recorded.

In December 2023, the IUCN announced that Saiga Antelope was reclassified from ‘Critically Endangered’ to ‘Near Threatened’. This unparalleled positive change in global IUCN Red List status is a rarity in conservation and is thanks to Altyn Dala’s dedicated efforts to recover Saiga Antelope populations.

"Altyn Dala," meaning "Golden Steppe" in Kazakh, was established in 2005 through a partnership between government and civil society to protect and restore the steppe’s species and ecosystems, including grasslands, wetlands, and deserts, across the Saiga’s historic range.

The initiative is led by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), in partnership with the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Government of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, with technical and financial assistance from Fauna & Flora (F&F), Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and the RSPB as core partners. The work to restore the ecosystems here are only possible with the support of the local community.

After securing over 5 million hectares (12 million acres) of new state-protected areas and facilitating the recovery of Saiga populations, while also providing training to hundreds of reserve managers and biologists, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme as one of just 10 ‘World Restoration Flagships’ under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The Kazakh Steppe is one of the largest remaining habitats of its kind, spanning over 805,500 square kilometres—more than three times the size of the UK. This vast grassland, dotted with thousands of wetlands, is a refuge for endangered species such as the Saiga and Steppe Eagle. However, temperate grasslands worldwide, including steppes, are highly vulnerable, with less than 5% under protection and over 50% lost to conversion for arable agriculture.

The communities and the wildlife that live in the Kazakh Steppe face extreme weather, ranging from +40° C in summer to -40° C in winter. There’s little rain here, only 200-400 millimetres per year, meaning that tall vegetation and trees are mostly absent from this expansive landscape.

The Saiga antelope is an ‘ecosystem engineer’. Weighing in at around 50kg, it disperses seeds and fertilizes the soil along its annual migration, and its grazing patterns creates variety in the vegetation that encourages different nesting birds like the endangered Sociable Lapwings and Great Bustards. Dead Saiga become food for wolves and foxes, as well as scavenging birds, such as Black and Egyptian Vultures.

Marmots and ground squirrels burrow in the dry ground, as Steppe Eagles and other raptors scope out these small mammals from above. Dotted throughout the Kazakh Steppe are internationally important freshwater wetlands, salt pans, and salt lakes that provide essential pitstops for over 10 million birds migrating along the Central Asian Flyway every year, including majestic Siberian Cranes.

Despite its ecological importance, the steppe itself faces many threats. In the 1950s, over 57 million acres of Kazakh steppe was ploughed for Soviet agriculture, and millions of hectares more were overgrazed by domestic livestock, degrading the landscape’s natural ecosystems. Now, the impacts of the climate emergency means that freshwater wetlands are under new pressures.

Since creating the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in 2005, international partners, including the RSPB, have worked alongside ACBK and the Government of Kazakhstan to:

• Provide extensive scientific evidence on biodiversity, both in terms of threatened and common species, and the most important sites for nature
• Design and establish over 5 million hectares of designated State Protected Areas and Ecological Corridors based upon scientific evidence
• Employ and train over 250 rangers from within the local community to manage nature reserves and protect threatened wildlife
• Create new Conservation Detection Dogs (sniffer dogs) to detect Saiga horns and other illegal wildlife, preventing their smuggling across borders
• Develop educational materials for both training students and educating schoolchildren

In doing so, Altyn Dala partners have enabled the unprecedented and ongoing recovery of Saiga populations in Kazakhstan. These successes would not have been possible without the collaboration of many national and international organisations, donors providing vital funds, and the ongoing cooperation of the rural communities who live across the remote steppe regions.

Efforts to secure the long-term future of the ancient Kazakh steppe ecosystems are ongoing through Altyn Dala. Activities include building their resilience to climate change impacts, maintaining anti-poaching and anti-smuggling activities, completing the recovery of threatened species, and connecting restored landscapes that function both for wildlife and communities’ land uses.

Altyn Dala partners have now embarked upon reintroducing other large herbivores, like the Kulan (Asiatic Wild Ass) and the ‘Critically Endangered’ Kertagy (Przewalski’s Horse) to help restore these rare grasslands. They are also, focusing on the recovery of ‘Endangered’ Steppe Eagles, while building our understanding of the actions needed to safeguard the future of the area’s precious wetlands, vital to the millions of birds who depends on them throughout the year as part of the immense Central Asian Flyway.

Additionally, to strengthen national capacity for delivering conservation effectively, investing in existing professionals, current university students, and school children across Kazakhstan will all be crucial to further restoring and understanding the unique habitats and wildlife of Kazakhstan.