SCA 2014 Young Conservation Leaders Award Winners Announced

We are very excited to announce the winners of our new award for Young Conservation Leaders based in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan. The 2014 award is supported by the Wildlife Conservation Network, and we are grateful to all our donors and supporters who contributed to it via WCN, especially the family of Joy Covey.

The aim of the award, which we hope to make annual, is to support the next generation of saiga leaders, recognise their contributions to saiga conservation, and bring them together to build a network across the whole saiga range so that they can share experiences and inspire others.

The applicants were of excellent quality, and we are happy to report that the following aspiring conservationists will each receive $1,000 to support a 12 month project which links to the ongoing work of the SCA in the winner's country:

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Aigul' Aitbaeva (Russia) - a saiga conservation project manager with the Centre for Wild Animals of the Republic of Kalmykia

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Olga Esipova (Uzbekistan) - an SCA volunteer and full-time university student

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Sergelen Erdenebaatar (Mongolia) - a biologist working with the NGO "Altain Nuudelchid"

The young conservation leaders will work with the SCA's administrative team to further the aims of the SCA. They will also be mentored by a member of the SCA Steering Committee, and supported in accessing opportunities for further funding and training.

We look forward to reporting back on their progress in the coming months.

Congratulations to all three winners!