Conservation
Steppe eagle global action plan approved at UN meeting on migratory species
Things are looking up for migratory species, the result of recently concluded UN meetings in Brazil. At the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), held from 23–29 March 2026, governments approved or upgraded action plans and expanded protection for dozens of migratory species worldwide. Among…
Read MoreTugai recovery gains momentum with record 2025 plantings
In 2025, Kazakhstan accelerated the restoration of tugai forests in the southern Balkhash–Ili delta, thanks to a record-breaking number of plantings. Tugai forests—riparian woodlands that function as vital “oases” along rivers in Central Asia’s arid regions—are central to the country’s tiger reintroduction and rewilding program, which aims to revive Southern Balkhash ecosystems and create thriving…
Read MoreRecent trade decisions are the next test for saiga antelope
Oh, the remarkable resilience of the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica)! Over recent decades, this flagship species of the Eurasian steppe endured precipitous declines in populations driven by mass mortality events and human-induced pressures, bringing it to the brink of extinction in Kazakhstan. Yet, through the sustained efforts of governments, scientists, local communities, and international conservation…
Read MoreJust another day in the life of a wildlife biologist!
Manul Working Group (MWG) partners recently deployed six camera traps in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Emel National Park, an effort to help monitor the manul in the country’s southeastern region. Altyn Emel rangers joined the fieldwork, guiding specialists through the park and assisting with logistics. These are the first camera traps in Altyn Emel placed specifically to…
Read More2026 will mark another milestone for tiger restoration in Kazakhstan
Siberian Tiger at Zurich Zoo; Wikimedia commons; Photo credit: albinfo; GNU Free Documentation License, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License In the first half of 2026, Kazakhstan’s Amur tiger reintroduction program will reach another pivotal milestone with the planned arrival of a small group of tigers from Russia. Between January and June, three to four Amur tigers are expected to…
Read MoreKulans at Altyn Dala released into the wild
Kazakhstan’s Asiatic wild ass (kulan) reintroduction program has reached another milestone with the late summer release of animals from the Altyn Dala acclimatization enclosure into the wild. After nearly a century of absence in this region, the kulans are once again roaming free across the Torgai steppe of central Kazakhstan. For the past year, the…
Read MoreFall 2025 migration update: young steppe eagles take flight
As part of Kazakhstan’s fall 2025 migration season, nine juvenile steppe eagles began their journeys to wintering grounds in western Kazakhstan in September, marking the young birds’ first migrations. Eight eagles moved westward toward the Caucasus along the Afro-Eurasian Flyway, while one individual, named Klyuvik, headed south across the border into Uzbekistan. Scientists from the…
Read MoreTigers come roaring back to Kazakhstan
In September 2024, two adult Amur tigers—12-year-old female Bodhana and nine-year-old male Kuma—were translocated from a sanctuary in the Netherlands to Kazakhstan’s Ili-Balkhash Nature Reserve, marking the end of almost 70 years without tigers in the region. The homecoming is one stage of a long-term program to revive Kazakhstan’s lost tiger population and restore the…
Read MoreAnother “Magnificent Seven” Herd Arrives in Kazakhstan
Earlier this month seven Przewalski’s horses arrived in Kazakhstan, marking the second homecoming within a year under the “Return of the Wild Horses” project. On June 2, two Czech military transport planes carried three horses from the Prague Zoo and four from Hungary’s Hortobagy National Park to Arkalyk airport in northern Kazakhstan. From there, they…
Read MoreWelcome home, feathered friends!
In recent weeks three juvenile cinereous vultures—Asu, Karasha, and Zhetpys—and one intrepid imperial eagle, Tomiris, have returned to Kazakhstan from their winter sojourns. First, news about the cinereous vultures. Asu’s journey home from India took him through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Asu lingered for two weeks in Kyrgyzstan visiting the Talas Mountains near…
Read More