In Altaian the name literally means “lake with a belly button “, and the lake has a small island in its center that is an important wildlife refuge for endangered waterbirds.

Blending nature and conservation with traditional knowledge is the goal of the AruSvaty Educational Center for Traditional Altaian Wisdom.

6 years after the 2009 argali poaching scandal, another helicopter of hunters crashes in Kosh-Agach District, accompanied by a Sailyugem National Park ranger. Article examines the background and evidence to date.

Aduchi lives with his family in the small but tidy indigenous Altaian village of Inegen on the shores of the tumultuous Argut River.

Plans for 2015 – Pipelines, mining, raptor and snow leopard conservation, and much more!

We at The Altai Project remain deeply concerned about potentially irreversible damage to sacred lands and complex ecosystems.

35+ artisans have come together in the village of Kupchegen to form a cooperative venture

Each time I travel to Altai, the trips combine field work and office meetings, and I try to meet as many people as possible to gain new perspectives. This year was no exception.

This year The Altai Project has had the pleasure to spend time more time than usual with our partner, Danil Mamyev. He kindly agreed to answer a few questions about his work.

Altai is a biological and ecological gold mine but also has deep cultural roots that sets it apart from other parts of the world. One way to think about why Altai is important is that its landscape is ecologically on par with the Amazonian rainforest, Antarctica, and other large unique ecosystems.

Thanks to Senior Researcher at Altaisky State Nature Reserve Sergei Spitsyn’s efforts to stop poaching and assess the population, we estimate the population has grown to 5-8 cats – a tremendous improvement!

Many of you are aware of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia’s role in that conflict, and Russia’s complicated image on the global commons. You may also know that President Putin and his government are continuing to actively limit freedom of the media, freedom of association, free speech, civil rights, and undermine previously effective environmental and […]

How did you first learn about The Altai Project? I inherited The Altai Project when I came on as Executive Director of the Weeden Foundation 12 years ago. I knew virtually nothing about Altai at that time. Upon educating myself, I was impressed with the potential for landscape-scale conservation in Altai and the availability of […]

In 2010, Sergei Spitsyn, director of Arkhar NGO and a senior scientist at Altaisky State Nature Reserve, pinpointed the locations of two snow leopards in the Argut River basin via sign survey and camera-trapping. In 2013, with Sergei’s leadership and expertise, The Altai Project began a radical initiative to identify and engage poachers in snow […]

Read the article featuring our work at the link below.

Learn more about the launch of our new Sponsor a Snow Leopard program!

Learn about a live snow leopard sighting during the 2013 Wild Altai Expedition.

In May 2013, Gazprom tabled plans to build the Altai gas pipeline through 2015. At the same time, Altai Republic overturned an earlier decree protecting sacred sites.

Make a tax-deductible gift to keep poachers out of snow leopard habitat. We urgently need your support for patrols this winter.