In November 2003, over 60 conservation experts and activists from public
organisations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Germany
gathered in Karkaralynsky State National Nature Park to discuss actual
problems of biological and landscape diversity conservation.
The Conference was organised by the Resource Informational Analytical
Centre “Wildlife Laboratory”, the Committee for the Ecological Reform
and Regional Development of the Mazhilys of the Kazakhstan Parliament,
akimates of Karaganda region and Karkarala district, Karkarala State
National Nature Park, public organisations “Arlan”, “EcoObraz”, EcoMuseum”
with the support of the “East to East” Programme run by John Soros Fund
in Kazakhstan. It was held as a part of
preparations for parliament hearings “Problems and Perspectives of the
State Nature Conservation Fund Development” scheduled for the first
quarter of 2004.
The participants of the Conference discussed the legislative reform,
development of public control and inspection, and the growing increasing
role of local communities in wildlife conservation. The participants
also discussed the creation of the National Ecological Network and conservation
of endangered pant and animal species.
RESOLUTION
Of the International Conference on Landscape and
Biodiversity Conservation
“Reforms for Wildlife”
(Karkaralynks, Karaganda region, Shakhter, November 20—22, 2003)
Having discussed burning issues raised in the reports and discussions,
the participants of the Conference developed the following recommendations
to prevent further decline and loss of national heritage:
Nature Conservation Legislation
Amend the Land Code and the Federal Act “On Protected Natural Areas”
with regards to the procedure of preparing and issuing state land
ownership acts to protected areas as legal entities at the expense
of the federal budget
Incorporate the obligatory requirement to designate buffer zones
around nature reserves into the Federal Act “On Protected Natural
Areas”.
Enable legal allocation of land plots within buffer zones of existing
and new zapovedniks for PA staff members for limited economic use
in order to facilitate the zapovednik management and improve the life
quality of people living in PAs.
Adjust the legal basis according to ratified international conventions
and signed international treaties related to biodiversity conservation
and PAs.
Incorporate into the Federal Act “On PAs” measures to improve social
security of PA protection service staff.
Amend the Budget Code and the Federal Act “On PAs” to empower PAs
to manage revenues from fines and penalties for conservation violations
and sales of confiscated violators’ property independently and spent
these funds for conservation purposes, including incentives for inspectors
(30 percent of sums collected).
Prohibit legally use of rare and endangered animal and plant species
for commercial purposes.
The Committee of Forestry and Hunting and the Committee of Fishery
of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture should develop and adopt
a Statement on Public Ecological Inspection.
Cancel statements of the Tax Code set in articles ##338, 345, 351,
466, 467, 470, and 471 that legalise collection of taxes from PAs
as legal entities for land use, vehicles, property, natural area development,
use of fauna and timber resources. Exclude Chapter 86 of the Code
regarding the transfer of fees for the use of PAs by legal entities
and individuals for scientific, cultural and educational purposes,
tourism and recreation and limited economic development into the governmental
budget, because all these activities are run by PAs themselves and
relevant revenues must be considered PAs’ own funds.
Executive authorities should reserve funds in local and republican
budgets for protection, restoration, and development of state zakazniks.
Zakazniks should be considered legal entities or, where it is possible,
should be patronised by existing PAs or specially established regional
departments responsible for the protection of zakazniks and nature
monuments.
Amend the Land Code and the Federal Act “On PAs” to prohibit withdrawal
of lands for any reason from PAs having the legal entity status and
managing their lands on the permanent (perpetual) basis.
Amend the Federal Act “On PAs” to incorporate statements on new
PA categories (biosphere reserves, transit and trans-boundary PAs);
Incorporate an Article on the biosphere reserve designation procedure
into the Federal Act “On PAs” by amending the Article 8-1;
Legally provide PAs as legal entities with the status of “state
conservation research institution”;
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Budget Planning
of Kazakhstan should provide allowance for PA staff (inspectors and
researches) when they are on service during field studies and inspector’s
raids.
Incorporate into the Kazakhstan legislation land reservation procedures
for perspective PAs and inventory and protection procedures for nature
reserve fund objects not incorporated into PAs.
Propose the Kazakhstan Government to designate some agricultural
lands and other lands that have specific environmental and scientific
significance ‘reservation lands’ for perspective PAs that can not
be sold to private owners.
Prohibit pathway wood felling in state nature national parks.
Kazakhstan Eco-Net Development
Introduce an “Ecological Networks” chapter into the Federal Act
“On PAs”.
Introduce the concept of “ecological network fragments” for areas
designated outside conservation lands. If a land plot is designated
an ecological network fragment, its owner must be responsible for
natural heritage preservation and maintenance of qualitative and quantitative
features of natural ecosystems. Legal tools to encourage land users
to preserve natural heritage, such as tax privileges, purposive budget
funding, etc. should also be developed.
Amend the land and taxation legislation to promote biodiversity
conservation in agricultural and reserved lands, including:
a) tax privileges (land tax, etc.) for agricultural land users
who maintain or restore natural ecosystems;
b) free (declarative) procedure to designate economically valuable
agricultural lands less valuable land categories for conservation
purposes;
c) a normative act regulating in detail conservation restrictions
and servitudes on agricultural lands and lands of the reserve
land fund;
d) a normative act regulating allocation of ecological network
fragments during land planning.
Amendments the fauna conservation legislation and other environmental
legislation in order to:
a) allow land owners and users to hunt limited numbers of game
animals if these animals are linked with their lands; and use
other biological resources that are linked with their lands;
b) make land owners and users legally responsible for the preservation
of game animals and other biological resources that are linked
with their lands;
The government of Kazakhstan should promote the development of a
Governmental Programme to create ecological networks in Kazakhstan
and similar regional programmes.
The government of Kazakhstan should consider the possibility of
signing bilateral treaties with neighbouring states (primarily, with
Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzia, and Turkmenistan) to develop Pan-European
and Central-Asian ecological networks through the development of national
ecological networks and trans-boundary PAs.
Development of public control and inspection,
growing role of local communities in biodiversity conservation, development
of communities living within and around PAs
The Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan should incorporate
a new module “Community Liaison” into higher education curricula and
upgrade courses for conservation staff.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment Protection
of Kazakhstan, in collaboration with interested governmental and public
organisations, should deliver training of staff of state conservation
agencies, nature reserves and national parks to develop their professional
skills related to the liaison with society and local communities.
The Ministry of Education and Science should provide all possible
assistance to revive children’s green voluntary patrols, young naturalists’
stations, and develop and adopt the Statement on School Forestry Enterprises.
The Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Agriculture,
and the Ministry of Environmental Protection should develop and adopt
specific informational and educational programmes for local communities
living in PAs and their buffer zones. PA authorities should be responsible
for programme implementation.
Support the initiative of NGOs and PAs and adopt a sustainable livelihoods
programme to support people living in PAs and neighbouring areas.
Promote the development of public ecological boards under the jurisdiction
of legislative authorities (at local, regional and republican levels)
to ensure community involvement into decision making processes regarding
most urgent ecological issues.
The Ministry of Education and Science, in collaboration with other
interested ministries and public organisations, should develop and
implement a specific programme to raise the awareness of governmental
officials about environmental issues.
Conservation and restoration of rare and endangered
animal and plant species
The Republic of Kazakhstan should ratify Ramsar, Bern and Bonn international
Conventions. Kazakhstan should continue to implement agreements and
international treaties related to biodiversity and landscape conservation,
including designation of trans-boundary PAs.
The Forestry and Hunting Economy Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture
with the involvement of interested governmental and public organizations
should develop the system of monitoring rare and endangered species
and ensure its implementation in everyday practice.
The Forestry and Hunting Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture,
the Institute of Zoology and Animal Genetic Fund, and the Institute
of Botany and Phytointroduction of the Ministry of Education and Science
should complete the publication of the third edition of the Kazakhstan
Red Data Book (the Book of Rare and Endangered Species).
The Kazakhstan Government should identify terms for introducing
an extinction risk assessment framework based on quantitative criteria
according to IUCN recommendations (1994), including, inter alia,
development of the 4th edition of the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan.
Legally enable the system of regional lists of rare and endangered
plant and animal species (regional Red Data Books).
The Kazakhstan Government should develop and adopt governmental
programmes of rare and endangered species conservation and restoration
in situ and ex situ, first of all, saiga, birds of prey, salmon, and
other endangered animal and bird groups.
Include saiga into the Kazakhstan Red Data Book.
The Customs Control Agency and the Frontier Service of the Kazakhstan
Committee for National Security should strengthen customs and frontier
controls regarding export and import of CITES subjects.
The CITES administrative and scientific bodies in Kazakhstan, in
collaboration with interested scientific and public organisations,
should develop and distribute reference books and visual guidebooks
on subjects to the Convention among all customs and frontier posts,
including reference information on export-import rules and regulations
and responsibilities
The participants of the Conference recommend:
The Committee of Forestry and Hunting of the Ministry of Agriculture
should intensify forest restoration and planting in PAs and increase
the budget funding for this.
The Committee of Forestry and Hunting of the Ministry of Agriculture
should improve logistics and research bases in PAs through the provision
of vehicles, fire-prevention equipment, communication means, increasing
staff, etc.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection should reinforce the procedure
of Environmental Impact Assessment and ecological expertise involving
PAs and communities for projects and programmes involving negative
impacts on PAs and conservation lands (drainage channels, enterprises
and industrial objects, tourism and agriculture).
The Kazakhstan Government should regularise the collaboration with
Global Ecological Facility (GEF) and provide budget co-funding in
order to attract additional GEF funds and other environmental foundations.
Conduct similar conferences to discuss urgent problems of Central
Asia wildlife conservation at least once a year.
