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Tigers to Return to Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Ecology of Kazakhstan and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) are set to reintroduce tigers to the republic by settling the animals in a new reserve. Following an agreement signed by the two parties in mid-July, the Ministry of Ecology stated: "This memorandum is a continuation of successful and fruitful cooperation, which has already led to significant achievements in the restoration of biodiversity and infrastructure of the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. The tiger's return to Kazakhstan is an ecologically important project and a symbol of our efforts to restore the natural heritage." The project has been many years in the making. In 2021, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed reintroducing tigers to Kazakhstan with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Referencing the fact that the last Turanian tigers were spotted in Kazakhstan in the 1930s, he explained: "These are steppe tigers. In ancient times, they were sabre-toothed, so now we are developing an international project to restore the population of these tigers." The long-awaited tigers will arrive this autumn and as reported by the Ministry of Ecology, two tigers, a male and a female, will be delivered from the Netherlands at the expense of the Dutch side in September. In addition to these animals, in 2023, environmentalists announced plans to release a group of Amur tigers from Russia within five years, following an agreement signed by Russia and Kazakhstan at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in 2022. It was assumed that the first generation of the population would consist of Amur tigers, including those from Primorye. Turanian, otherwise known as Transcaucasian tigers, which used to live in Central Asia, northern Iran, and the Caucasus, are genetically close to Amur tigers but slightly smaller. The intention to recreate the tiger population in the country was first declared at an international forum dedicated to preserving tigers in 2010. Kazakhstan announced its readiness to embrace the initiative and since then, has been rigorous in its preparations. In September 2017, a memorandum was signed between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the government of Kazakhstan on implementing the program and in 2018, the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve was established, where work to restore the ecosystem is in full swing. The tiger reintroduction program is planned to span over 35 years and comprises three phases: habitat preparation, predator release, and monitoring the growth of the tiger population. In the Ile-Balkhash reserve, boundaries have been established, communication systems have been set up, and comprehensive territory protection measures have been implemented. "The reserve territory is a natural complex that includes a variety of natural ecosystems from semi-desert, floodplain, and saxaul forests to wetlands. Such a favorable geographical location and rich forage create favorable conditions for the breeding of wild animals and a large number of birds. Biodiversity of the reserve includes about 40 species of mammals, 284 species of birds, and more than 420 species of plants, many of which are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan," the Ministry of Ecology explained. Since 2019, the reintroduction...

Nature

Endangered Wild Horses Return to Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe

Three wild horses have been transported from the Prague Zoo to the vast grasslands of Kazakhstan, restoring the endangered species to one of its natural habitats after an absence of a century. A Czech military plane helped to deliver the Przewalski's horses to the “Golden Steppe," or Altyn Dala, in central Kazakhstan, where they will stay for a while in enclosures to get used to conditions in their new environment. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it co-funded repairs to the enclosures after damage caused by recent flooding in the Central Asian country. “Congratulations to all those involved in these huge efforts to return these wild horses to the steppes of Kazakhstan,” said the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a multinational partnership that is working to restore the Kazakh steppe ecosystem. It said on Tuesday that another group of the wild horses, which are named after the Russian geographer who identified the species in 1881, are on their way from Tierpark Berlin, a German zoo. Przewalski’s horse is “the last genetically wild horse on Earth” and its Russian namesake first came across the species in Mongolia, according to the multinational conservation group. The species vanished from the wild in the 1960s. But several European zoos kept some of the horses, saving the species from extinction, and reintroductions into the wild began in the 1990s, first in China and then in Mongolia. The Prague Zoo is leading the relocation project in Kazakhstan, which aims to introduce a total of eight Przewalski’s horses to the steppe in the first year and several dozen horses over the next five years. Some of the wild horses will also come from Hungary’s Hortobagy National Park, which has the largest group of Przewalski’s horses outside Mongolia, as well as Nuremberg Zoo in Germany. The reintroduction center for the horses is located in the Torgai steppe, which lies within a network of linked nature reserves that total 40,000 square kilometers, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, a partner in the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative. The initiative, in turn, is led by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan. The conservation initiative has overseen a surge in the number of saiga antelope to more than 1.9 million, a 10-fold increase since a devastating disease outbreak in 2015. “Unlike the Saiga, the Przewalski’s horse prefers a much broader selection of grasses, and in turn distributes the seeds of additional plant species across their shared steppe environment, playing a complimentary role. In addition to this, their dung piles provide nutrients to other plants and decomposers, such as insects,” the initiative said. A key part of the project is raising awareness about the wild horses among local communities. Conservationists are planning work with children and schools, providing educational materials and coloring books that outline the differences between wild and domestic horses.

Nature

Saiga Antelope Revival Pleases Kazakh Naturalists — And Leonardo DiCaprio

Kazakhstan's steppe is now home to booming numbers of saiga antelope, with the country's authorities and environmentalists pulling together to revive the country's iconic species. News that the saiga population is no longer classified as "endangered" has reached the Hollywood actor Leonardo diCaprio, who recently wrote on his Instagram page: "This unprecedented recovery reflects the remarkable conservation of saigas in Kazakhstan. A species that once numbered 48,000 in 2005 has now grown to over 1.9 million individuals in the wild." The animal is, however, still listed as "threatened" in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Ministry of Ecology estimates that the saiga population will rise above 2.6 million after the calving season this year. However, as their number has grown, the Kazakh authorities have reclassified the saiga as a species that may be hunted. Environmental scientists in the West Kazakhstan region have calculated that around 340,000 adult saigas -- around 18% of the population -- can be culled this year, to which end over 40,000 have already been killed. Saiga meat is sold in stores and bazaars in Kazakhstan, often to be used in stews, and is also found online on the Russian marketplace Ozon. Kazakh society is divided about the treatment of these indigenous antelopes. Some support the cull by pointing out the damage that they cause to crops, which lost the West Kazakhstan region alone over $25 million last year. Others argue that saiga hunting, if not properly regulated, could lead to poaching and the resale of saiga antlers on the black market. This could lead to another drastic decline in a species that has been thriving in recent years.

Nature

Record Numbers of Pink Flamingos Are Wintering in Turkmenistan

This year the Turkmen coastline of the Caspian Sea has hosted a record number of wintering birds. According to the international ornithological expedition, more than 207,000 birds have flown there since the fall. Pink flamingos, listed in the so-called Red Book of endangered species, are the emblem of Turkmenistan's Khazar State Nature Reserve. Scientists at the reserve counted 30,392 of these migratory birds in total. Turkmen ornithologist A.A. Shcherbina commented that "this is an official record, both according to recorded data and observations in our sector of the sea, which I have been engaged in since 1971." In Latin flamingo means fire or flame. This species is most commonly found in Africa, Southeast and Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central and South America, and the Mediterranean. In Central Asia there is a red-winged species of flamingo, which is usually called 'pink'. Nomadic peoples across Asia believe that seeing one will make them happy. Scientists carefully study, photograph and keep records of all coastal animal species of the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. Specialists have noted that in the past years, endangered flamingos preferred to spend their winters in Iran. The current relocation of the birds, it seems, is caused by favorable changes in the water of the Caspian Sea and its coastline. Thanks to the efforts of staff from the Khazar reserve, natural conditions for nesting are improving on the Turkmen coast -- and the food base for protected birds is growing. According to their calculations, there are 50,000 more migratory birds this season than last season. The reserve, founded in 1934, took its name from the ancient name of the Caspian Sea -- Khazar. Most of the reserve's 270,000 hectares fall on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Nature

One Health Nature Conservation Project Launches in Central Asia

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its international partners have launched the One Health Central Asia project, aiming to mitigate the risk of zoonoses – diseases that are naturally transmissible from animals to humans – in Central Asia. The new initiative was announced on February 13th at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The risk of zoonotic diseases in Central Asia is exacerbated by biodiversity loss and changes in human-wildlife interactions. As part of the new initiative, IUCN and national and international partners, including all five Central Asian countries, will implement actions to prevent the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases, IUCN reported on its website. The experts will work to consolidate a fair and effective regional network of protected and conserved areas, strengthen conservation measures and wildlife management for disease risk mitigation, and promote the latest advancements in zoonosis research and technology. Speaking at the launch ceremony, IUCN’s director general, Dr Grethel Aguilar, said that nature conservation can contribute to mitigating the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks, and this important new initiative will strengthen the resilience of Central Asian landscapes, bringing numerous benefits to communities. “We will continue to support the governments here to build regional capacity to apply IUCN's tools and standards, including the IUCN Green List, best practices in species management, and the latest advancements in zoonosis research.” Aziz Abdukhakimov, the minister of ecology, environmental protection, and climate change of Uzbekistan, commented that: “Over the past few years we have observed how the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 can have a global impact. This has resulted in entire countries being demobilized, transportation connections being disrupted, an increase in food security issues, and massive socio-economic consequences. We are committed to expanding regional cooperation for sustainable management of protected natural areas, preserving unique biological diversity, and contributing to the environmental balance in the Central Asian region, which will receive a significant boost through this project on One Health in nature conservation.” Supported by a €11m contribution from the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection via the International Climate Initiative, this major regional initiative will spearhead the One Health approach in Central Asia over the next six years. The initiative, entitled Enhancing landscape resilience to zoonotic disease emergence by consolidating nature conservation systems in Central Asia, will focus on the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. "Obstacles to migration reduce the habitat available to migratory species. This phenomenon has been observed across Central Asia with species such as the Saiga, Wild Ass, and even those with relatively small ranges, like the Bukhara Deer,” said Amy Fraenkel, the executive secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), one of the international partners of the One Health Central Asia initiative. “In the diminished and fragmented habitats, migratory species of wild animals often find themselves in contact and competition with livestock for pasture and water...

Nature Saigas

Residents of Central Kazakhstan Village Arrested For Trying To Halt Saiga Killings

The shooting of saiga antelopes has resumed in Kazakhstan, which has angered many in the country, including residents of a village in the central Ulytau region, Kyzylzhar. According to the Interior Ministry, on January 10 a group of Kyzylzhar residents deliberately prevented hunters from a company called Okhotzooprom from shooting the saigas. The persons were arrested and are currently in custody. According to local ecologist Almasbek Sadyrbayev, the female saigas were carrying calves. The local authorities have pointed out that the saiga shootings were carried out lawfully, and that the villagers used physical force against Okhotzooprom staff. Andrei Kim, deputy chairman of the Ministry of Ecology’s forestry and wildlife committee, confirmed at a press conference that the moratorium on saiga shooting in Kazakhstan, in force until 2024, will not be extended. However, saigas have been introduced to western Kazakhstan as part of a program to regulate their population. Commercial hunting will continue until February 29.