Rus

 

«CURRENT EVENTS»

“REFORMS FOR WILDLIFE” CONFERENCE

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

  1. 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
  2. Incorporate the obligatory requirement to designate buffer zones around nature reserves into the Federal Act “On Protected Natural Areas”.
  3. 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.
  4. Adjust the legal basis according to ratified international conventions and signed international treaties related to biodiversity conservation and PAs.
  5. Incorporate into the Federal Act “On PAs” measures to improve social security of PA protection service staff.
  6. 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).
  7. Prohibit legally use of rare and endangered animal and plant species for commercial purposes.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Amend the Federal Act “On PAs” to incorporate statements on new PA categories (biosphere reserves, transit and trans-boundary PAs);
  13. Incorporate an Article on the biosphere reserve designation procedure into the Federal Act “On PAs” by amending the Article 8-1;
  14. Legally provide PAs as legal entities with the status of “state conservation research institution”;
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Prohibit pathway wood felling in state nature national parks.

Kazakhstan Eco-Net Development

  1. Introduce an “Ecological Networks” chapter into the Federal Act “On PAs”.
  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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;

  5. The government of Kazakhstan should promote the development of a Governmental Programme to create ecological networks in Kazakhstan and similar regional programmes.
  6. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Support the initiative of NGOs and PAs and adopt a sustainable livelihoods programme to support people living in PAs and neighbouring areas.
  6. 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.
  7. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Legally enable the system of regional lists of rare and endangered plant and animal species (regional Red Data Books).
  6. 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.
  7. Include saiga into the Kazakhstan Red Data Book.
  8. 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.
  9. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Conduct similar conferences to discuss urgent problems of Central Asia wildlife conservation at least once a year.
 

OUR PUBLICATIONS


Nature Reserves and National Parks


ATTENTION!

2010 International Year of Biodiversity Website launched in Montreal!


TEEB
Russian Clearing-House mechanism on biological diversity

Volunteers Join Us

OUR BANNERS

Biodiversity

NAVIGATION

Home page
Site map (in Russian)

Subscribe to the BCC news
(in Russian):


<<<back

© 2000-2022 Biodiversity Conservation Center. All rights reserved