Kazakhstan launches interstate initiative to protect Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan has launched efforts to develop an interstate program aimed at preserving the water resources of the Caspian Sea, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources announced.

The initiative is being coordinated with other Caspian littoral countries, according to Minister Yerlan Nyssanbayev, Kazinform reports.

"One of the priority areas of our forest policy is combating desertification in the Aral and Caspian regions. From 2021 to 2025, forest reclamation works were carried out on over 920,000 hectares of the dried-up Aral Sea bed. These efforts will continue next year. A nursery has been established in Kazaly, designed to produce three million seedlings annually. Another nursery is under construction on the dried bed of the Aral Sea. In the Kyzylorda region, a branch of the Kazakh Research Institute of Forestry and Agroforestry has been established, and measures are being taken to create the 'Aral Forests' nature reserve covering more than 1.3 million hectares," Nyssanbayev said.  

He further highlighted the creation of the Kazakh Caspian Sea Research Institute, established at the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan to study ecological challenges facing the Caspian Sea.

"Currently, the ministry, together with Caspian littoral states, is working on the development of an interstate program to preserve the water resources of the Caspian Sea. Additionally, based on experience from the Aral region, a program is being developed to create protective forest belts on dried-out areas," Nyssanbayev added.

By Vafa Guliyeva