Saiga Conservation Alliance are delighted to announce the 2 Excellence in Saiga Protection Winners. Thank you to all who applied and we wish you good luck with your saiga conservation efforts.
Bringing back our Annual Awards, after a short hiatus, has been very important for the alliance. Through this award we aim to build capacity among members for more effective conservation and information-sharing.
SCA also wishes to take this opportunity to thank our donor for this award Zoofari Parks. Without Zoofari Parks’ support this award would not be possible.
We’re delighted to introduce our winner and their achievements
Name: Olonbaatar Gaanbat
Country: Mongolia
Job Title: Wildlife specialist and inspector at the Environmental Protection Agency of Gobi-Altai Province
About Olonbaatar Gaanbat and his nomination
Nominated by Buuveibaatar Bayarbaatar, Senior Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society’s Mongolia Program and Steering Committee member of Saiga Conservation Alliance: Buuvei states, ‘Olonbaatar Ganbat is particularly deserving of the award due to his outstanding contributions to the protection of the critically endangered saiga antelope in Mongolia.’
Awarded due to his outstanding contributions to the protection of the critically endangered saiga antelope in Mongolia, Olonbaatar is a wildlife specialist and inspector at the Environmental Protection Agency of Gobi-Altai Province in Mongolia. His work in saiga protection includes his work in monitoring saiga populations and understanding their population size and habitat use patterns. Olonbaatar has also been actively involved in community outreach and education. He has assisted in numerous workshops, training sessions, and other educational activities to engage local communities particularly school children and build support for saiga conservation efforts.
Another key area of Olonbaatar’s work is law enforcement and anti-poaching efforts. He has partnered with local law enforcement agencies to crack down on poaching and illegal trade in saiga antelopes and their products. Through his work, numerous poachers have been arrested and prosecuted, and illegal trade in saiga antelopes has been disrupted.
Olonbaatar’s work has also led to tangible improvements in saiga populations in Mongolia. For example, in 2018, saiga populations in Mongolia increased by nearly 30% compared to the previous year after the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) virus outbreak, due in part to conservation efforts led by Olonbaatar and others.
Olonbaatar told SCA ‘As a wildlife specialist and inspector at the Environmental Protection Agency of Gobi-Altai Province in Mongolia, my work involves enforcing laws, monitoring the saiga population, and engaging the public in saiga conservation efforts. It is crucial to protect and conserve this endangered Mongolian saiga, and my efforts are aimed at preventing poaching and ensuring the survival of this species. I am honoured to have been recognized for my work in saiga conservation by the Saiga Conservation Alliance, and I am confident and inspired to continue my efforts to protect endangered species and raise awareness about the importance of conservation.’