Kazakhstan’s Vera Voronova wins MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity 2024
The Embassies of the United Kingdom and Japan to the Republic of Kazakhstan are delighted to congratulate Ms Vera Voronova, Executive Director of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), on being named a recipient of the 2024 MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity. The prestigious award, presented by the AEON Foundation and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), recognises Ms Voronova’s outstanding contribution to biodiversity conservation in Kazakhstan and beyond, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Ms. Voronova’s leadership at ACBK has driven significant progress in the protection of Kazakhstan’s rich biodiversity. Through her work, Ms. Voronova has championed projects that enhance the recovery of endangered mammals, protect vital migration corridors, and safeguard the Central Asian Flyway.
Initiatives she has led have created jobs and boosted the livelihoods of rural communities, provided education and experience to the next generation on environmental and conservation issues, and helped create collaborative partnerships between countries.
Ms. Voronova will be honoured at an official award ceremony on 29 October 2024, at the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia.
Notably, ACBK is a key participant in the Altyn Dala Conservation initiative, which has been named as a 2024 finalist for The Earthshot Prize launched by His Royal Highness Prince William in 2021. The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative has been selected from over 2,400 nominations as one of three finalists in the ‘Protect and Restore Nature’ category of the highly prestigious Earthshot Prize, an award that seeks to profile and incentivise innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Winners will be announced on 6th November.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Japan, please accept our heartfelt congratulations on the award of this year’s prestigious MIDORI Prize to the ACBK!” Jun Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Kazakhstan said. “Having spent 3 and half years here in Kazakhstan, I am second to none in worshipping the sublime beauty and uniqueness of its nature. Recently I had an honour to listen to Vera-san’s vision directly, thanks to the kind introduction by Mr. Mark Day of the RSPB. I was so deeply moved by her staunch commitment and sense of duty to preserve such a treasure for the country, indeed for the entire planet! The miraculous resurgence of the saiga population is a shining example of what can be achieved if we truly believe in the vital importance of our mission. Their success in the very heart of the great Eurasian steppe is something beyond the geography and just awe-inspiring to the Japanese people, hence the award of the MIDORI Prize. Congratulations once again and look forward to the news of “double award” by both Japanese and British prizes later this year!”
“It is with great humility that I accept the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity. It is a great honour to receive this global award. For me it is important to think of those women who received the award in previous years, and to recognise my co-winner and new friend Ysabel. I hope that we will both be inspiring many young girls to become future change-makers and leaders in the field of biodiversity conservation,” said the winner herself.
“Naturally,” Vera Voronova emphasized, “I wish to acknowledge those who taught me, mentored me, and with whom I worked over the past 10 years as colleagues and collaborators across government, civil society, universities, and the private sector. While I may be the face of my organisation ACBK and our high profile Altyn Dala partnership, it is the body of people who make these achievements possible – I feel exceptionally fortunate to work with them all.
“With the immense efforts needed to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, I hope that my personal recognition by the MIDORI Prize and Altyn Dala’s recognition as The Earthshot Prize finalist will inspire others to commit new resources and invest in enabling our young team from our young country to achieve even more to protect and restore the incredible biodiversity of Kazakhstan and the Central Asian Flyway of which it is part,” she added.
According to Kathy Leach, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country has a vital role to play as the ‘Guardian of the Great Steppe’, the largest remaining Eurasian grasslands supporting a unique ecosystem. “This highly respected MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is a recognition of Vera’s determined leadership and the partnership she has pioneered at ACBK and with the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative to help Kazakhstan fulfil that role. She has helped to bring together government, civil society and international expertise to save Kazakhstan’s most iconic Ice Age steppe species, the saiga antelope. I’m also delighted to see the Altyn Dala Conservation initiative recognised by the UK’s Earthshot Prize and look forward to the announcement of the winner, in the presence of the Prince of Wales, Prince William, on 6 November,” Ambassador Leach added.
The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity is a prestigious biennial international prize organised by the AEON Environmental Foundation and the Global Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The prize reflects the need for the whole-of-society approach that underpins the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its 23 targets for achievement by 2030. Each winner is awarded a commemorative gift and a plaque, and a monetary prize of USD 100,000 to support their work in safeguarding biodiversity.
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Altyn Dala) is a groundbreaking project dedicated to protecting and restoring the unique biodiversity in Kazakhstan. The Altyn Dala initiative in December 2022 was named as one of only 10 World Restoration Flagships in recognition of its impact and vision by the United Nations.
The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) and the Government of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology & Natural Resources, alongside key partners Fauna & Flora (F&F), Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), have implemented successfully strategies to protect steppe ecosystems and revive endangered species’ populations in the expansive steppes of Kazakhstan. Over 12 million acres of steppe grasslands and wetlands now have new legal protection. Altyn Dala started by recovering the Critically Endangered Saiga Antelope, using antipoaching, anti-smuggling, and public awareness efforts to restore Saiga numbers from below 40,000 to over 2.8 million today. Efforts are now being extended to enable the recovery of a series of priority threatened species, including Steppe Eagles, Sociable Lapwing, Kulan (Asiatic wild ass) and Przewalski’s Horse.