CRTC for ITCAMP: Coastal Profiles. Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

SECTION 1. THE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT

The basis of the international cooperation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of the protection and sustainable use of environment were grounded shortly after the declaration of independence by our country in 1991. In 1992, the Kazakhstan Government signed Convention on Biological Diversity and Framework Convention on Climate Change at the UN Conference on Environment and Development. They were approved in 1994 and 1995 accordingly. In 1994, Kazakstan affiliated to the Convention Concerning the Prevention of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, signed the Convention on Combating Desertification, which was approved, in its turn, in 1997. The same year the laws were passed to join the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Priority Activities Plan of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan envisages the joining of our country to the following Conventions:

On International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, CITES
On Wetlands, of International Importance Especially as Waterfoul Habitat, Ramsar Convention
On the Conservation of Migratory Spacies of Wild Animals, Bonn Convention
on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, Basel Convention
On Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
On Environment Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

On the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents

On the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

The opportunity of the Kazakhstan memebership in International African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement runs in parallel with it and mechanisms for the cooperation with the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats will be developed.

The work on the Establishment of Coordination Center on Implementation of the Regulations of Conventions of UN European Economic Commission in the Central Asia is carried out in Kazakhstan.

The participation of Kazakhstan in the process “Environment for Europe” would allow our country in the development of “All-european strategy for Biological and Landscape Diversity” to include into it the regional priorities related to the conservation of biological diversity issues of some natural objects of both Kazakhstan and neighbouring states. The Republic of Kazakhstan made a certain contribution to strategy implementation as follows:

#	Subject	Outcome
1	“All-Union Environmental Network Establishment”	By approval, as having a national priority, of Specially Protected Areas Network Expansion Programme;
2	“Inclusion of considerations relating to biological and landscape diversity in various sectors.”	Prepared National Environmental Action Plan on intersectoral basis and provided relevant approaches to the development of National Straegy and Action Plan on Biological Diversity; enhancing by approval of the Law on Environmental Protection of the Environmental Fund Status and initiating the development of the Law on Payments for Biological Resources Use;
3	“Public and adminstrative bodies awareness and the expansion of their support”	Declared the year 1998 together with the Central Asia countries the year of environmental protection in the region; adopted, as a priority, the developmet of ecological education system as well as wide involvement of public organizations into the process of environmental protection;
4	“Landscape conservation”	By the approoval of the Law on Specially Protected Areas containing the articles related to the protection of natural and unique artificial landscapes;
5	“Coastal and marine ecological systems”	Strenghthened by legislation a special status of the North-East Caspian Sea; developed a normative base for ecologically safe activities on exploration, exploitation and transportation of hydrocarbons on the Caspian Sea shelf; prepared the project on the biological diversity conservation of the Caspian Sea and its coastal zone; carrying out actions on environmental damage abatement as a result of the rise of the Caspian Sea level; initiated together with other Caspian littoral countries the development of a regional convention on the cooperation in the field of the protection of the Caspian Sea.
6	“River and wetland systems”	Developing in cooperation with the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan and China approaches to sustainable use of transboundary river systems; implementing the project on the improvement and reconstruction of irrigative-draining networks on the loans of the World Bank etc.
7	“Onshore wetlands”
8	“Pasture ecosystems”	Prepared the National Action Plan to Combat Desrtification and Land Degradation; reduced loads on pastures, decreased sheep livestock; developing the programme on land rehabilitation (restoration), excluding from farming rotation etc.;
9	“Forest ecological systems”	Developed the Forestry Development Programme, identifying as a priority the increase of woodlands in the country up to 5,1% of its area; prepared proposals to the World Bank on the activity to imrove National Forest Policy; strenghthened by legislation a special forest protection status in Kazakhstan;
11	“Measures on Endangered Species Protection”	Published a new edition of the Red Book, volume 1 (vertebrates) and prepared to the publication volume 2 (invertebrates), volume 3 (plants) and 4 (vegetable communities – the Green Book); submitted to the Bern Convention Secretariat inventories of the animals and plants entered the Kazakhstan Red Book; giving up the praying of the seals in the Caspian Sea; established the largest collection of bulbous plants in the countries of the Central Asia; providing successful reproduction of rare and endangered species of animals of the Kazakhstan fauna ex-situ.

International cooperation of Kazakhstan is in the process of development within the framework of the Interstate Ecological Council of CIS coutries. Agreement on the Control of Transboundary Transporation of Dangerous and Other Wastes was signed in 1996 within the framework of the Council. Drafts agreements on Information Cooperation in the field of Ecology and Environmental Protection, on the Interaction in the field of Sustainable Use of Transboundary Water Objects, on the Cooperation in the field of Ecological Monitoring were prepared.

The formulation of bilateral agreements package with governments of other countries in the field of environmental protection was initiated. Since the declaration of independence, the Republic of Kazakhstan has signed the following agreements:

Agreement on the Cooperation with U.S. Government in the field of environmental protection directed to the development of coordinated policy in the field of natural resources nad environmental protection on bilateral, regional and global basis, 1995;
Agreement on the Cooperation with U.S. Government within the framework of GLOBE Programee, 1995;
Agreement on the Cooperation with the Israel Government in the field of environmental protection, 1995;
Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan Governments on joint use and protection of transboundary water objects, 1992.
Agreement with the Russian Federation Government on the Cooperation of neighbouring regions
Agreement with the Azerbaijan Republic on the Cooperation of in the field of in the field of environmental protection directed to the protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea from pollution as a result of its rise and economic activities etc., 1997.

The relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of environment protection with such international and regional governmental and non-governmental organizations, and financial institutes as following are developing on bilateral basis:

World Bank and its regional office in Kazakhstan
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Asian Development Bank
Global Environmental Facility
UN Development Programme and its regional office in Kazakhstan
UN Environment Programme and its European and Asian Offices
Commission for Susstainable Development
UNESCO
FAO
UN European Economic Commission
UN Economic and Social Commission for the Asian-Pacific countries
Economic and Development organization
European Community Commission
European Council
European Environmental Agency
NAT
World Enviornment Union
World Wildlife Union
World Monitoring and Nature Protection Center
European Nature Protection Center
Fauna and Flora International

The task for the development of NEAP and Kazakhstan Agenda 21 was set in the Concept of Ecological Safety of the Republic of Kazakhstan accepted on April 1996. In connection with it, the plan was primarily aimed at sutainable development of the republic and being developed within the process “Environment for Europe” based on the methodology of environmental issues in Kazakhstan.

Strategy 2030 “Eclogy and Natural Resources” was developed taking into account “Environmnetal Programme for Europe” (EPE), identifying long-term prospects of policy and environmental protection integration.

Associated Mission of World Bank, UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated the development of the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP), by initiative of the Caspian littoral states on April 1995. The CEP main objective is to ensure ecologically sustainable development and optimal management of natural resources of the Caspian region, including bioresources and surface waters. CEP was identified as a coordinating instrument, promoting cooperation among the Caspian countries and international donor organizations, as well as large private companies.

Now, representatives of the Caspian littoral states through the mediation of international organizations carry out the work on the coordination and adoption of the Framework Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, regional basis for the integrated sea and coastal zone management