Within the framework of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), the Irbis Association acted as a partner and supported the Russian pavilion, and also organised a number of thematic sessions on 23 October.
On the thematic day "Business for Nature: Integrating Biodiversity into Corporate Programmes", a presentation was delivered on the topic "The Snow Leopard as Nature Diplomacy: Transboundary Cooperation between Business and States as a Driver for Biodiversity Conservation". The event was held as part of the session "State and Business Together: A Federal Project as a Platform for Partnership for the Benefit of Nature".
The Irbis Association also took part in the activities of the Mongolian pavilion. At the session dedicated to transboundary groups of rare animal species, monitoring of their populations and migrations, Darya Petrova, Director of the Irbis Association, spoke alongside leading international experts.

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It is extremely important for us to share our accumulated experience with both Russian and foreign colleagues. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation, because we all share the same view: the conservation of the snow leopard, the manul, and other rare species is our common cause that knows no borders

Darya Petrova commented.

The work continued on 27 October: the session "Environmental Education as a Tool for Biodiversity Conservation" was held in the Russian pavilion. The day concluded with a screening of Russia’s first documentary film, "Master of the Altai Mountains".
The Irbis Association expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation for the excellent organisation of the Russian pavilion at COP 17, as well as for the longterm cooperation and comprehensive support provided to both Russian and international projects for the conservation of rare species.
We thank VTB Bank and the "Living Nature and the World" Foundation for their support of the event.