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Environment

Caspian Sturgeon Population Declines 90% Amid Ecological Crisis

The sturgeon population in the Caspian Sea has plummeted by 90% over the past four decades, according to Sergei Ponomarev, a deputy of Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis (lower house of parliament). Speaking during a recent meeting of the Mazhilis Committee on Ecology, Ponomarev cited both the sea’s progressive shallowing and escalating environmental degradation caused by human activity as key contributors to the decline. He emphasized that oil production and significant volumes of untreated domestic and industrial waste are the primary sources of pollution in the Caspian Sea. “Oil extraction suppresses the development of phytobenthos and phytoplankton, while sewage discharges have transformed the sea into a reservoir of infectious diseases. Biodiversity is in severe crisis,” he said. The deteriorating water quality has also weakened the immune systems of marine species, leading to reduced disease resistance. As a result, the population of Caspian seals has dropped from one million to just 100,000, and sturgeon numbers have seen a dramatic 90% reduction, primarily due to reproductive disruptions at spawning sites. Ponomarev warned of broader public health consequences in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau and Mangistau regions, including declining life expectancy and increasing cancer rates. He forecasted that by 2040, up to five million residents could become “ecological migrants” if conditions continue to worsen. “The Caspian Sea Institute has been created, but it remains non-functional. We are losing invaluable time,” he said, urging the government to adopt a science-based approach to ecological monitoring and recovery efforts. Kazakhstan approved the establishment of the Caspian Sea Institute in November 2023 to study and address the environmental degradation of the sea, including declining water levels and mass die-offs of marine life. However, Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mansur Oshurbaev reported that funding remains unresolved. The ministry has requested KZT 1.8 billion ($3.4 million) from the government’s reserve for 2025 to operationalize the institute, which will be based in Aktau with a staff of 91. Oshurbaev also highlighted efforts to develop an environmental sensitivity map for Kazakhstan’s Caspian coastline, aimed at preventing oil spills and aiding biodiversity conservation. Kazakh scientists predict a consistent decline in the sea level, which could reach minus 33 meters by 2050, a scenario they warn would be catastrophic for the ecosystem. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, according to the global movement, Save the Caspian Sea, the water level has already dropped by two meters over the past 18 years. If this trend continues, the sea could shrink by another 18 meters by the end of the century, risking an ecological disaster comparable to the collapse of the Aral Sea.

Earthquake

Seismic Cities: Is Central Asia Prepared for a Major Earthquake?

The recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which claimed over 3,500 lives and caused structural failures more than 1,000 kilometers away in Bangkok, has once again highlighted the precariousness of life in seismically active regions. “Earthquakes happen on geological faults, which are often sited at the edges of mountain ranges.” Richard Walker, Professor of Tectonics at the University of Oxford told The Times of Central Asia. “Sadly, the edges of mountain ranges are often the best places to live, due to the presence of water and of land for farming.” All Central Asian capitals, except for Kazakhstan’s relocated capital Astana, are located on such terrain. This has historically made them vulnerable. The 1948 earthquake in Ashgabat destroyed almost the entire city; Tashkent suffered a similarly destructive event in 1966, and Almaty was wracked by twin blows in 1887 and 1911. Although no such catastrophic event has occurred in the last half century, the earth beneath the region continues to rumble restlessly. Two quakes in early 2024 left the residents of Almaty unnerved. Last week, on April 14, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Tajikistan caused the death of a young boy and damage to around thirty homes near the Chinese border. Though moderate, these tremors serve to remind residents of the active tectonics of the region and raise questions about the structural readiness of buildings and infrastructure should a stronger event occur. Botched Building After the 2023 earthquake on the Turkey-Syria border, which killed over 53,000 people in Turkey alone, authorities launched investigations into over a hundred individuals linked to the construction of buildings that did not withstand the tremors. Such stories were familiar to people who grew up in the Soviet Union. In the 1988 Spitak earthquake in Armenia, tens of thousands died in Leninakan (now Gyumri). Many of the casualties were put down to the collapse of identikit 9-storey tower blocks built in the Brezhnev era. These were designed to withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake; in the event, the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck Leninakan caused 72 out of 78 of these buildings to collapse. In a bitter irony, many older, pre-Soviet structures remained intact. One team of international inspectors blamed “very low construction standards and suspect joint details” in Leninakan for the scale of the disaster. Similar precast tower blocks to those that collapsed in Armenia can be seen across the former USSR. According to the Uzbek media, the Cabinet of Ministers estimated in 2023 that approximately 70% of private housing in the country failed to meet current earthquake resistance standards. “The 2023 earthquake in Turkey was a tragic reminder of the importance of strict compliance with building codes and continuous quality control of construction in seismic regions,” Daulet Sarsenbayev, director of the Kazakhstan’s National Scientific Center for Seismological Observations and Research, told TCA. “Such events provide valuable lessons for all countries, including Kazakhstan, in terms of the need to strengthen the regulatory framework, increase transparency in the construction industry, and invest in resilient infrastructure.” In response to the...

Snow Leopard

Kyrgyzstan Establishes Ecological Corridor to Protect Snow Leopards and Biodiversity

Kyrgyzstan has created the Ak Ilbirs (Snow Leopard) Ecological Corridor in the northeastern Issyk-Kul region, a major step in safeguarding rare wildlife and preserving the country’s rich biodiversity. The corridor encompasses over 792,000 hectares, linking several protected areas: the Khan-Tengri State Nature Park, the Sarychat-Eertash Nature Reserve, and the Naryn Nature Reserve. It is designed to serve as a safe habitat for the snow leopard and other endangered species, while promoting the sustainable management of natural resources. [caption id="attachment_30972" align="aligncenter" width="794"] Image: mnr.gov.kg[/caption] Key Objectives The Ak Ilbirs Ecological Corridor aims to: Conserve wild animal populations, including the endangered snow leopard Protect diverse ecosystems and their biological richness Safeguard rare and threatened plant and animal species To preserve the integrity of the corridor, strict prohibitions have been introduced. These include a ban on the introduction of non-native species, the use of pesticides, radioactive waste disposal, and any other activities that could harm the ecosystem. At the same time, the corridor supports legal and environmentally responsible activities, such as scientific research, reforestation, forest management, and population regulation of certain wildlife species. National and Global Significance The initiative marks a significant advancement in Kyrgyzstan’s environmental policy. Notably, the corridor strengthens efforts to protect the snow leopard, a species regarded as an indicator of the stability and health of mountainous ecosystems. In December 2023, President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree recognizing the snow leopard as a national symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic. The species is classified as rare or endangered across 12 countries. Kyrgyzstan has also played a leading role in international snow leopard conservation. At the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, the country introduced the resolution establishing October 23 as International Snow Leopard Day, backed by other range states including Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. According to the Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards, conducted between 2020 and 2024 under the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), Kyrgyzstan is estimated to have an average snow leopard population of 285.

Environmental Initiative

Kyrgyzstan Launches $52 Million Environmental Initiative to Combat Natural Disasters

Kyrgyzstan has officially launched RESILAND CA+, a $52 million environmental initiative aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, reducing natural disaster risks, and strengthening regional cooperation in sustainable land management. Funded primarily by the World Bank, the project targets key ecological threats across several regions, including Osh, Jalal-Abad, Naryn, and Issyk-Kul, with a particular focus on the Kara-Darya River Basin, an area highly vulnerable to mudflows. According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations, RESILAND CA+ seeks to mitigate the impact of mudflows, restore forests and soils, and build climate resilience across borders. Kyrgyzstan has recorded more than 900 mudflows over the past 12 years, posing a constant threat to lives and livelihoods, particularly in mountainous and riverine communities. “This project opens a new chapter in combating land degradation and climate threats in Kyrgyzstan,” said Boobek Azhikeev, Minister of Emergency Situations. “We are not just restoring landscapes, we are protecting the future of our communities”. The RESILAND CA+ program is financed through a combination of grants and credits from international development partners: $45 million in credit from the International Development Association (IDA) $5 million grant from the PROGREEN global partnership $2.4 million grant from the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF) Tatiana Proskuryakova, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia, stressed the broader impact of the initiative: “RESILAND CA+ is not just about the environment, it’s an investment in people’s safety, in the economy, and in international partnerships. Restoring nature helps us prevent future disasters”. Set to run through 2029, the program is part of a larger Central Asian strategy to manage transboundary landscapes and natural resources collaboratively.

Earthquakes

Earthquake in Tajikistan Kills One Child, Damages About 30 Homes

A powerful earthquake struck Tajikistan on Sunday, killing a young child who was trapped under a wall, damaging about 30 houses and alarming people in parts of neighboring countries who felt the impact. The epicenter of the quake was 25 kilometers east of Rasht, Tajikistan, at a depth of 12.6 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre issued a similar report, saying the magnitude was 5.9 and citing the accounts of witnesses who said there was strong shaking in Dushanbe, the capital. The Rasht area is about 150 kilometers northeast of Dushanbe and lies on the border with Kyrgyzstan. Disaster response authorities in Tajikistan identified the child who died as Abdugani Mashrabov, a resident of the rural village of Ushturpast, who was born in 2022. At least 29 residential buildings and a school were damaged in the quake, mostly in the Rasht area, according to preliminary information from the government. The Rasht valley, which has picturesque landscapes of gorges and mountains, is relatively remote. It was an opposition stronghold during Tajikistan’s civil war in the 1990s and was the scene of intense fighting. More recently, development had been slowed by tensions between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that sometimes spilled into violence, though a border agreement signed last month between the two countries could open the way to increased trade and transit.

Water

Kazakhstan Advances Water Sector Reform at High-Level Coordination Meeting

On April 10, the Coordination Council of Partners for the Development of the Water Sector of Kazakhstan held its second official meeting in Astana, co-chaired by Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Katarzyna Wawiernia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Kazakhstan. The Council, which first convened on September 30, 2024, comprises the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the UNDP, and more than 30 international partners, including financial institutions and global development organizations. At the meeting, participants reviewed the Council’s work over the past six months and discussed strategic priorities for sustainable water management. A key topic was the 2024-2030 Partnership Water Initiative, adopted in September 2024, which outlines long-term goals for resilience and innovation in the sector. Nurzhigitov discussed the Council’s role in forging productive cross-sector partnerships. “In just six months, we’ve reached concrete agreements and launched new projects with partner countries, development institutions, financial organizations, and major companies. The Ministry has signed three agreements and sixteen memorandums with international partners from the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, the USA, Israel, China, the Islamic Development Bank, the Eurasian Development Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and UNDP,” he said. New Agreements Signed at the Meeting Five new cooperation agreements were concluded during the session: The Ministry signed a communiqué with Spain’s Xcalibur Smart Mapping to carry out underground water resource mapping in western Kazakhstan A Statement of Intent was signed with the Islamic Development Bank and UNDP to bolster the technical capacity of Kazakhstan’s water sector, with a focus on digitalization, flood forecasting, climate resilience, and policy development An agreement between the Ministry’s Information and Analytical Center for Water Resources and the Eurasian Development Bank established a grant to develop a National Water Resources Information System by 2026. The project aims to increase transparency, efficiency, and equity in water distribution Kazvodkhoz, the Ministry’s national enterprise, signed a communiqué with PowerChina International to expand cooperation, including training seminars in China for Kazakhstani specialists (the first group of 30 participants is already attending a two-week program) Kazvodkhoz also signed a memorandum of cooperation with Primus Capital Almaty LLP, aimed at developing small hydropower plants at national water facilities A Long-Term Challenge Kazakhstan has long faced serious water-related challenges from the shrinking Aral Sea, driven by reduced transboundary river flows, to destructive spring floods and chronic irrigation shortages in the southern regions. These challenges highlight the urgency of coordinated, international engagement and innovation in water governance.