One year in

Greetings, friends!

It’s early spring and we want to share updates about our first year and future plans. There is a whole lot of chaos and uncertainty in the world right now, but we are committed to supporting and sustaining wildlife and the people who care for it in Kazakhstan. It’s what we do!

2024 successes

We launched Eurasian Wildlife and Peoples almost exactly a year ago. To get the ball rolling, we invested in strengthening collaboration with partners to protect wild cats and birds.

With our help, our colleagues at the Manul Working Group (MWG) completed upgrading and reinvesting in a manul (Pallas’s cat) monitoring network in central Kazakhstan, installing 50+ camera traps to date. Stay tuned for more great cat selfies!

For our feathered friends, we supported the Shakpak Orinthological Station’s annual fall migration study in southern Kazakhstan; the team banded an impressive 8,319 birds from 114 species, including the Eurasian bee-eaters pictured here. As with any conservation science, looking at imagery and crunching data is what you do in the off-season. We look forward to using the analysis to update conservation priorities.

Our multi-year field studies of steppe and imperial eagles and Egyptian vultures with the Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center have confirmed that many of these slowly-reproducing raptors are struggling in Kazakhstan; their prey species are declining and such large birds often have fatal contact with wind power turbines and 80,000 km of overhead power lines. Our data is making it possible to create maps that show where migrating and nesting raptors are at greatest risk of wind power collision – maps that the Kazakhstan government, energy sector, and investors can use to make better bird-friendly planning choices and reduce harm to birds on existing infrastructure.

We are delighted to report that our partners are also shepherding new legislation through the Kazakh legislature. These laws will prioritize bird safety during planning, construction and operation of energy infrastructure. Patience is a must with all legislative work, and we will keep you posted.

We have also been delighted to share wildlife success stories from the region, especially reintroduction programs to restore flagship steppe species—Przewalski’s horse, the Asiatic wild ass (kulan), and the saiga antelope—in addition to a program to reestablish the Amur tiger population.

What’s next? 

Later this year, in partnership with the Manul Working Group, we will bring together US and Eurasian cat experts and community members to strengthen manul cat collaboration in Central Asia.

New this year, we are supporting citizen science projects in Kazakhstan, working with biologists to train and organize a volunteer corps to more accurately and widely identify, count, and document the country’s plant and wildlife species using iNaturalist. Citizen science works and is a great means to crowdsource knowledge of the country’s unique plants!

Recently, we profiled Lake Balkhash, highlighting its importance in maintaining environmental balance in the region, and explored concerns about its future. In the coming year, we’ll explore more of Kazakhstan’s natural landscapes and ecosystems and the roles they play in maintaining the region’s biodiversity.

It’s no secret that we live in challenging times for our planet. We believe that our work in Kazakhstan is important and timely. Our small but mighty portfolio of wildlife protection initiatives make a difference. Your actions—supporting us with financial donations, sharing our stories, and showing confidence in our work—also count toward success in saving some of the world’s most iconic species.

As we look to spring, please consider making a gift to Eurasian Wildlife and Peoples. Every dollar counts! https://www.ewandp.org/donate/. Together, we can protect wildlife, get communities involved in conservation, and create lasting conservation impacts for Kazakhstan, Eurasia, and the planet.

We always love to hear from you. Contact us to share ideas, ask questions, and tell us what interests you about Kazakhstan, its wildlife and ecosystems.