Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) Environmental Information Sharing Platform

Establishment of Ili-Balkash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan
2018-11-09

According to the World Wildlife Fund Russia branch website, on June 27th, the Kazakhstan government announced that it would establish the Ili-Balkash Nature Reserve. The protected area covers an area of 415,000 hectares, including the Ili River Delta and the forests and wetlands along the southeast coast of Lake Balkhash. The region is rich in biodiversity, with 39 rare and endemic animals and 427 plants, many of which are included in the Kazakhstan Red Book.

Once the protected area is established, the ecosystem of the tiger habitat will be restored. The restoration programme also includes the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems and the restoration of ungulate populations (including wild donkeys, Central Asian red deer) that have disappeared from the area due to habitat destruction and poaching. Restoring the ecosystem of the Ili River-Barkash Lake region will also help prevent the dryness of the Balkhash Lake.

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