Six Przewalski’s horses are released into steppe wilderness after 200 years of local extinction.
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Kazakhstan is home to one of the last great intact grasslands on Earth. Encompassing steppe, semi-desert and desert, this extraordinary landscape was once teeming with millions of migratory Saiga antelopes, wild Kulan, and Przewalski’s horses. Overhunting and habitat destruction wiped out most of this stunning wildlife.
Now, we are bringing it back.
Our goal: reestablishing the fully functional grassland ecosystems of Kazakhstan for both wildlife and people.
Quick Facts
- Project: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative
- Country: Kazakhstan
- Area Size: 700,000 km² (former range of the Saiga antelope)
- Project leader: Stephanie Ward
- Contact: ward@zgf.de
To achieve this, FZS teamed up with national and international partner organizations and the government of Kazakhstan in 2006 to form the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative – with Alyn Dala meaning the ‘Golden Steppe’ in Kazakh. Today, Altyn Dala is working across 75 million hectares of steppe ecosystems – equivalent in size to Turkiye – to create and expand protected areas, restore threatened species’ populations, address illegal wildlife trade, and provide professional training and public education. The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative is a UN World Restoration Flagship & Earthshot Prize Winner.
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2025
Second cohort of seven horses from European Zoos arrives in Alibi.
2025
Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative wins prestigious Earthshot Prize.
2024
Historic 50h kulan transport successful: 24 animals arrive well.
2024
Saiga movement data is included in Global Atlas of Ungulate Migration.
2024
Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative joins the Global Rewilding Alliance.
2024
First cohort of seven wild horses from European Zoos arrives in Alibi.
2024
National Saiga number exceeds 2,8 Million.
2024
First two kulan births in the wild after 100 years of local extinction.
2024
Kazakh Government initiates return of Wild Horses to Kazakhstan. Our fieldstation “Alibi” is chosen as reintroduction site.
2023
Saiga Antelopes are down-listed from “Critically endangered” to “Near threatened” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
2023
Altyn Dala is recognized as “World Restoration Flagship” by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
2022
Introduction of four more kulans from Altyn Emel to Altyn Dala.
2022
Birth of the second kulan foal.
2022
Birth of the first kulan in central Kazakhstan after almost 100 years.
2021
Results from a survey by the Government of Kazakhstan show that saiga antelope populations have bounced back, now at nearly a million animals.
2021
Introduction of two more kulan from the Aral Sea to Altyn Dala.
2019
Kazakhstan’s saiga population bounces back to over 300,000 individuals after the mass die off.
2019
Reintroduction of the first cohort of nine kulan into Central Kazakhstan.
2017
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative expands its focus to include Western Kazakhstan’s Ustyurt saiga population.
2016
The Irgyz-Torgai State Nature Reserve was expanded by 409,962 ha to 1,173511 ha.
2016
Betpak Dala saiga antelope mass die off caused ~60% of global population to collapse.
2015
Establishment of the Yrgyz-Torgai-Zhylanshyk Ecological Corridor (~2 million ha).
2014
Establishment of the Altyn Dala State nature Reserve (489,766 ha).
2012
ACBK leased two hunting areas that were particularly important in terms of saiga calving and migration (340,000ha).
2009
Expansion of the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve by 284,208 ha to 543,171 ha in total.
2008
Establishment of the Irgyz-Torgai State Nature Reserve (763,549 ha).
2007
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was co-founded by FZS. FZS supports anti-poaching work in Kazakhstan through ADCI.
2006
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative is spearheaded by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan with financial and technical support from Fauna & Flora, Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and in partnership with the Kazakh government’s Committee for Forestry and Wildlife, part of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources.
