The next step in the implementation of this Agreement is the successful nomination to UNESCO in 2016 for the "Western Tien Shan" Transboundary Serial World Heritage Site with the support of the UNESCO Central Asian Cluster Office.
The Transboundary Facility includes:
from the Kazakh side - the Karatau State Natural Reserve, Aksu-Zhabaglinsky State Natural Reserve and Sairam-Ugam State National Natural Park;
from the Kyrgyz side - Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve Besh-Aral State Natural Reserve and Padysha-Ata State Natural Reserve;
on the Uzbek side - the Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve and the Ugam-Chatkal Biosphere Reserve.
In 2018, a Memorandum was signed between the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the management and protection of the Serial Transboundary Object of the World Natural UNESCO heritage site "Western Tien Shan". Within the framework of this Memorandum, the Action Plan for the implementation of the Memorandum for 2018-2022 was approved. No significant work has been undertaken since then, but the MOU calls for the establishment of a regional committee and a 5-year regional management plan.
In this regard, the Corporate Fund "Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan", within the framework of the project "Improving the management efficiency of specially protected natural areas of the Western Tien Shan", financed by the Cooperation Fund for the Preservation of Critical Ecosystems (CEPF), held the First Meeting of the Regional Committee Serial Transboundary UNESCO World Heritage Site "Western Tien Shan" July 2-4 in the city of Shymkent.
The meeting was attended by representatives of three republics and international organizations, such as UNDP, UNESCO, IUCN, and WWF Central Asia.
It was originally planned to hold the meeting in an offline format. But due to the current epidemiological situation, the delegates from the Kyrgyz and Uzbek sides could not take part in the meeting in person.
But, in spite of the existing difficulties, the meeting was fruitful, in an atmosphere of openness, friendship and cooperation.
Following the meeting, the Regulations on the Regional Committee, the composition of the Regional Committee, and the action plan of the Regional Committee for 2021-2025 were approved. and approved the proposal of the Kazakhstan National Committee of the UNESCO Program “Man and the Biosphere” (MAB) on the establishment of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve “Western Tien Shan”.
Corporate Fund "Kazakhstan Biodiversity Conservation Fund"
expresses its deep gratitude to the Cooperation Fund for
Conservation of Critically Endangered Ecosystems (CEPF) for
allocation of a grant for the implementation of the project "Improving the management efficiency of specially protected areas of the Western Tien Shan".
You can learn more about the project by following the link.
The full list of participants in the meeting of the Regional Committee of the Serial Transboundary UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site "Western Tien Shan" in Shymkent:
|
Kazakhstan |
|
|
Name |
Position |
|
Turgambaev Daniyar |
Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Republic of Kazakhstan |
|
Kalymbetov Bekzhan |
Head of the Turkestan Regional Territorial Inspection of Forestry and Wildlife |
|
Assylbekov Assylkhan |
Head of the Directorate of the Corporate Fund "Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan" |
|
Ustemirov Kairat |
Manager of the project "Improving the management efficiency of specially protected natural areas of the Western Tien Shan" |
|
Sabitov Rauf |
Expert on work with the local community of the project "Improving the management efficiency of specially protected natural areas of the Western Tien Shan" |
|
Samen Nurdaulet |
Assistant of the project "Improving the management efficiency of specially protected natural areas of the Western Tien Shan" |
|
Bekhozhina Gulmira |
Accountant, CF "Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan" |
|
Efimova Elena |
Chairman of the NGO "Aksu-Zhabagly Manas" |
|
Pilalov Kanat |
General Director of Sairam-Ugam National Park |
|
Kyntaev Sahit |
Director of Aksu-Zhabaglinsky Nature Reserve |
|
Niyazov Askar |
Director of the Karatau Reserve |
|
Kyrgyzstan(online) |
|
|
Name |
Position |
|
Turdumatov Talantbek |
Head of the Department for Monitoring and Coordination of Scientific Activities of the Department for Conservation of Biodiversity and Specially Protected Natural Areas of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic |
|
Osmonov Azat |
Chief Specialist of the Department for Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Areas of the Department for Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Areas of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic |
|
Shabdanov Kushtarbek |
Deputy Director of the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve |
|
Amankulov Raikan |
Director of the Besh-Aral State Natural Reserve |
|
Orunbaev Askaraly |
Deputy Director of Padyshatinsky State Natural Reserve |
|
Uzbekistan(online) |
|
|
Name |
Position |
|
Sherimbetov Khalilulla
|
Head of the Department of Natural Resources of the Main Department of Biodiversity and Natural Resources of the State Committee for Ecology of the Republic of Uzbekistan |
|
Shagyakhmetova Gulshad |
Head of the Department for Coordination of Scientific, Ecological, Educational and Recreational Activities in Protected Natural Areas of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection |
|
Dustov Zhasur |
Director of the Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve |
|
Sharafiddin Kadirov |
Director of Ugam-Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve |
|
International organizations |
|
|
Name |
Position |
|
Yaschenko Roman |
Chairman of the Kazakh National MAB Committee
|
|
Ilyina Victoria |
Kazakhstan National Committee of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) |
|
Elizaveta Protas |
CEPF Project Manager |
|
Natalia Kim |
Program Assistant for Natural Sciences, UNESCO Office in Almaty |
|
Boris Erg |
Head of the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (IUCN, Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) |