NABU honors Davaa Dondiv

NABU Snow Leopard Award 2026

Each year, NABU recognizes individuals or organizations for their outstanding commitment to snow leopard conservation. The 2026 Snow Leopard Award goes to Davaa Dondiv, a herder and ranger who has devoted himself to protecting the endangered big cat.

Two snow leopards are lying on a rock; one is nuzzling its head against the other's temple. — Snow Leopards© Foto: Chauhan – stock.adobe.com

A Protected Area for Snow Leopards

The 2026 Snow Leopard Award goes to Mongolian conservationist Davaa Dondiv. For more than ten years, he has worked tirelessly to protect the endangered big cat. He played a key role in the establishment of the Tost-Tosonbumba Nature Reserve in 2016, which is now considered one of the world’s most important protected areas for snow leopards. At the time, mining activities threatened to fragment the snow leopard’s habitat and impact the grazing lands of nomadic herders.

Resolving Conflicts, Building Acceptance

His commitment is anything but ordinary. In many places, the conflict between herders and snow leopards determines the fate of these rare animals. In the past, herders in the region often lost livestock when snow leopards entered their corrals at night, putting their livelihoods at risk. After such losses, many saw only one solution: killing snow leopards. But Davaa Dondiv, who had experienced these challenges himself, chose a different path. He made his livestock enclosure predator-proof and helped numerous herding families upgrade their corrals as well. With great success: the number of livestock losses declined significantly. At the same time, he volunteered to raise awareness about snow leopards and helped establish a livestock insurance program that compensates herders for their losses. This increased local acceptance of snow leopards and strengthened support for their conservation.

Working as a Ranger

NABU also recognizes Davaa Dondiv for his outstanding commitment as a ranger. Together with six other rangers appointed by the local community, he regularly patrols an area of around 250,000 hectares. During his missions through the rugged Tost-Tosonbumba Mountains, he checks camera traps, documents wildlife populations, and detects illegal activities. His work provides vital data for the long-term monitoring of snow leopards and their prey species, helping to ensure the effective protection of this unique conservation area.

Protecting nature and snow leopards has always been close to my heart. I want my children and the next generation to grow up seeing the wildlife and beautiful landscapes that we have today.

Davaa Dondiv

About the Snow Leopard Award

The NABU Snow Leopard Award is given on Snow Leopard Day (23 October) to people and organisations that have shown exceptional commitment to the conservation of the endangered big cat. The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, traditionally funds a joint project for the protection of the snow leopard. The Snow Leopard Award was bestowed for the first time in 2018.

Who can win the Award?

Every year, NABU welcomes applications from or nominations of individuals or organisations involved in nature and species conservation, as well as those in politics, science, or culture, who have made significant contributions to the conservation of snow leopards, its prey or habitat. These contributions may include measures such as:

Anti-poaching initiatives
Establishment or management of protected areas
Awareness-raising and educational activities
Construction of predator-proof corrals
Other innovative conservation strategies

The previous award winners at a glance

Many renowned conservationists and organisations have received the Snow Leopard Award since 2018. We present all the previous winners below.

Nepal: Tshiring Lhamu Lama

Dolpo is a remote, high-altitude mountain region in north-western Nepal. It lies in the heart of the Himalayas. This is where Tshiring Lhamu Lama was born and raised. She loves this mysterious landscape, which is also home to the rare and endangered snow leopard. She is the first woman in her community to have earned a master's degree in natural resource management. Today, Tshiring Lhamu Lama is a conservationist tracking snow leopards – for their own protection.

The problem is that snow leopards are killed in Dolpo because they invade shepherds' livestock enclosures and thus threaten their livelihoods. In the past eight years, Tshiring Lhamu Lama alone has documented eleven such killings. In reality, many villagers say, there were probably many more. Yet there are only about 90 snow leopards left in Dolpo.

Lama founded Snow Leopard Journey, a community-based trekking initiative, and Snow Leopard Sisters, a non-profit organisation. Through these organisations, she has already trained 15 young conservationists, reached 100 herders and reduced livestock losses in two villages by 90 per cent. A very encouraging result! For Tshiring Lhamu Lama, one thing is clear: only when livestock losses decline will the rare big cats in Dolpo have a future.

Tajikistan: Davlatkhon Mulloyorov

In 2024, the award went to Davlatkhon Mulloyorov from Tajikistan. Davlatkhon Mulloyorov comes from the village Zighar on the Tajik-Afghan border and has dedicated himself to protecting the endangered snow leopard since the late 1990s. He works in the ‘M-Sayod’ nature reserve, which today provides a habitat for snow leopards and their prey in this region. As habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to snow leopards, such safe hideaways are of vast importance! Mulloyorov's commitment has made the region a role model for successful species conservation and has helped the snow leopard population to make a significant recovery.

India: High Asia Habitat Fund

Only around 300 snow leopards still live in India. Thanks to the High Asia Habitat Fund, human-wildlife conflicts, one of the gravest threats to the big cat, have decreased in Ladakh, India. The conservation organisation High Asia Habitat Fund (HAHF), which was only founded in 2020, has already done outstanding work to protect the endangered snow leopard in a very short space of time.

This is why the 2022 NABU Snow Leopard Award went to the conservation organisation's team.

Northern Pakistan: Nature conservation organisation BWCDO

For over two decades, the Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development Organization has been working to ensure that people, snow leopards and their prey can live peacefully side by side in the high mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Thanks to the Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development Organization, human-animal conflicts in Baltistan have decreased: Over 90 snow leopards inhabit the region. The NABU Snow Leopard Award 2021 went to the team members of BWCDO. Well deserved!

Kyrgyzstan: Erines Otorbaev

In the 1980s, there were still around 1,400 snow leopards living in Kyrgyzstan, today there are only around 300. The fact that there are not even fewer animals is thanks to the diplomatic skills of Erines Otorbaev: The 2020 Snow Leopard Prize winner is a pioneer of international species conservation.

Erines Otorbaev has been advocating for snow leopard conservation across national borders since 1984. The key in the fight against poaching and other threats is the multinational cooperation of all twelve countries in the animals' range.

Tajikistan: Burgut

The community-based Tajik wildlife conservation association Burgut was honoured with the 2019 Snow Leopard Award. In his laudatory speech, NABU Director of International Department Thomas Tennhardt praised the outstanding commitment of the wildlife conservation association and the local communities to protecting nature.

Burgut shows how communities can successfully combine nature conservation and sustainable development in their region. The organisation leases land, designates it a protected wildlife area and prevents grazing and poaching through patrols and educational work.

Kyrgyzstan: Rosa Otunbayeva

The first snow leopard prize was awarded to the former Kyrgyz President Rosa Otunbayeva.

Thanks to Otunbayeva, major steps have since been taken towards internationally standardised snow leopard protection. A secretariat has been set up to coordinate cooperation, numerous habitats have been identified and placed under protection, two of which are coordinated by NABU. Otunbayeva's involvement in the implementation of the first International Snow Leopard Forum in 2013 is particularly noteworthy.