Only the beautiful ecosystem of the Russian steppe could bring together biology students, young environmentalists, performance artists, a flashmob, researchers and government representatives.
All of these natural constituents of the steppe came together to celebrate the annual Day of the Steppe with music, dancing, drinking, and thematic exhibitions highlighting the landscapes of the steppe zone of Northern Eurasia.
Now an official annual regional holiday, the Day of the Steppe was initiated in 2014 by the UNDP steppe project team in two of the project’s regions: the Republic of Kalmykia and the Orenburg Province.
This environmental holiday is designed to raise awareness of the steppe regions, impart strategies on how to protect and preserve the fragile steppe landscapes, and disseminate knowledge about the native flora and fauna most affected by human activities.
“Many heads of households and farmers still think that the steppe is intended only for ploughing and sowing. The steppe project is doing its best to convey to people the knowledge that is necessary to protect the steppe. We need to keep at least the steppe areas that remain” said the co-ordinator for the Steppe project in Kalmykia, Emma Gabunschina.
Recognising that long-term conservation of steppe ecosystems and biological diversity involves more than the creation of protected areas, the project has focused on encouraging communities surrounding the reserves to become an integral part of that process. By involving the local community in celebrating their natural environment, the Day of the Steppe cultivates ambassadors of conservation.
With activities for schoolchildren, including a drawing competition of steppe wildlife, Steppe project regional co-ordinators and their local counterparts welcomed the students and participated in the celebrations in both Kalmykia and Orenburg.
“Nurturing people’s right attitude to nature is a vital task for all countries and nations, which should start from the early childhood years. But if it is done in a very formal and boring form, the outcome of such an education will be the same. On the contrary, the Steppe Day is a holiday that has already become a tradition in two Russian regions. It will last in people’s memories, and they will look forward to this event in the coming years.” - Evgeny Kuznetsov, UNDP Steppe project manager.
Financed by the Global Environment Facility, the project – supported by UNDP and implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation – is working in four reserves and four zapovedniks (protected areas). The project, ‘Improving the Coverage and Management Efficiency of Protected Areas in the Steppe Biome of Russia’, is not just dedicated to raising awareness of the steppe, but has also worked to expand Russia’s steppe protected area system, stop illegal poaching, and establish tighter management and more secure funding.
In Kalmykia, the performance art troupe left a lasting impression on the audience with the formation of a colourful, swaying, wind-swept Schrenk’s Tulip, a rare and endangered tulip indigenous to the steppe, listed in the Red Book of Kalmykia. Much like the steppe from which it blooms, it has been said of the tulip that ‘their beauty is their misfortune, as the more flowers are plucked, the less seed remains’.
Education and celebrations of the steppe are an important part of securing its survival.
For more information on the project, and additional conservation efforts of the project, visit savesteppe.org.
© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
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