Snow Leopard Conservation in Altai

United Nations Development Project for the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Russian Portion of the Altai-Sayan Ecological Region

Snow Leopard, irbis, (Uncia uncia)

The United nations development Project ‘Conservation of Biodiversity in the Russian Portion of the Altai-Sayan Ecological Region’ injected the impetus for a fresh wave of support for snow leopard conservation efforts in the Altai Republic. These early efforts have flourished over time.

Click here for short translation sample.

Click here to see Snow Leopard gift cards inspired by ancient snow leopard imagery in Iron Age artefacts from the Altai Mountains

In Russian, Altai and English language texts, the snow leopard (Unica Unica order) is commonly called by the Turkic word irbis (Altai is a Turkic language).

I worked with conservation teams in the Altai Republic during the years 2006-2013. My role involved translating documents: newsletters, strategy documents, steering committee reports, as well as interpreting in the field on training, rare breed population census, and species monitoring expeditions.

The photographs included here share a glimpse into expedition life.