Mark DAY

A biologist by training, my biodiversity conservation, strategic communications, and organisational development work since the 1990s have enabled me to lead the design and delivery of a range of integrated, sustained, and effective programmes species conservation, site protection, and ecological restoration. Working with governments, civil society organisations, and IUCN, my overarching focus is on organisational development and capacity building to deliver conservation. With a wide-ranging country experience, my particular geographies emphasise the Caribbean, Europe, and Central Asia. 

As a co-founder of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in Kazakhstan in 2005, this large-scale ongoing partnership achievements include the remarkable recovery of Saiga antelope, and protection of over 5 million hectares of steppe grasslands. Our achievements resulted in Altyn Dala receiving global recognition as a World Restoration Flagship under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2022) and winning The Earthshot Prize category ‘Protect and Restore Nature’ (2024).