Рlanned to hold a seminar on “Environmental impact assessment and environmental management” on the basis of the environmental protection of the Center of retraining and professional development of the environment and of natural resources in the period from 24 to 26 February 2016 in Astana.
Рlanned to hold a seminar on “Environmental impact assessment and environmental management” on the basis of the environmental protection of the Center of retraining and professional development of the environment and of natural resources in the period from 24 to 26 February 2016 in Astana.
Republican State Enterprise on the Right of Economic Management “Information-Analytical Center of Environmental Protection” of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the basis of the Center for retraining and advanced training in the field of environmental protection and nature (hereinafter – the Center) announces that it plans to hold in Astana specialized training seminar on “Environmental impact assessment and environmental management”, from 24 to 26 February 2016.
On the basis of the final evaluation of the knowledge students receive a certificate signed by the departmental sample Vice-Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan.
At the same time, the Center provides participants with handouts of the seminar – the Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the latest changes and additions, the legal framework in the field of environmental protection «Eco-info» on electronic media (CD-ROM with over 1500 documents).
Applications will be accepted no later than 3 days prior to the workshop on the basis of the registration form which is available on the Internet site www.iacoos.kz.
For all organizational matters can contact the specialists of the Center Fariza Shimshikova and Danagul Abike, tel. 8 (7172) 79-93-35, e-mail address pkkiac@mail.ru.
Bolivia’s second-largest lake dries up and may be gone forever, lost to climate change
ASTANA. KAZINFORM – Overturned fishing skiffs lie abandoned on the shores of what was Bolivia’s second-largest lake. Beetles dine on bird carcasses and gulls fight for scraps under a glaring sun in what marshes remain.
Lake Poopó was officially declared evaporated in December. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost their livelihoods and gone.
High on Bolivia’s semi-arid Andean plains at 3,700 metres (more than 12,000 feet) and long subject to climatic whims, the shallow saline lake has essentially dried up before only to rebound to twice the area of Los Angeles.
But recovery may no longer be possible, scientists say.
“This is a picture of the future of climate change,” says Dirk Hoffman, a German glaciologist who studies how rising temperatures from the burning of fossil fuels has accelerated glacial melting in Bolivia.
As Andean glaciers disappear, so do the sources of Poopó’s water. But other factors are in play in the demise of Bolivia’s second-largest body of water behind Lake Titicaca.
Drought caused by the recurrent El Niño meteorological phenomenon is considered the main driver. Authorities say another factor is the diversion of water from Poopo’s tributaries, mostly for mining but also for agriculture.
More than 100 families have sold their sheep, llamas and alpaca, set aside their fishing nets and quit the former lakeside village of Untavi over the past three years, draining it of well over half its population. Only the elderly remain.
“There’s no future here,” says 29-year-old Juvenal Gutierrez, who moved to a nearby town where he has taken a job as a motorcycle taxi driver.
Record-keeping on the lake’s history goes back only a century, and there is no good tally of the people displaced by its disappearance. At least 3,250 people have received humanitarian aid, the governor’s office says.
Poopo is now down to 2% of its former water level, regional governor Victor Hugo Vasquez calculates. Its maximum depth once reached five metres (16ft). Field biologists say 75 species of birds are gone from the lake.
While Poopó has suffered El Niño-fuelled droughts for millennia, its fragile ecosystem has experienced unprecedented stress in the past three decades. Temperatures have risen by about 1 degree Celsius while mining activity has pinched the flow of tributaries, increasing sediment.
Florida Institute of Technology biologist Mark B. Bush says the long-term trend of warming and drying threatens the entire Andean highlands.
A 2010 study he co-wrote for the journal Global Change Biology said Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, could face catastrophic drought this century. It predicted “inhospitable arid climates” would lessen available food and water this century for the more than 3 million inhabitants of Bolivia’s highlands.
A study by the German consortium Gitec-Cobodes determined that Poopó received 161bn fewer litres of water in 2013 than required to maintain equilibrium.
“Irreversible changes in ecosystems could occur, causing massive emigration and greater conflicts,” said the study commissioned by Bolivia’s government.
The head of a local citizens’ group that tried to save Poopó, Angel Flores, says authorities ignored warnings. “Something could have been done to prevent the disaster. Mining companies have been diverting water since 1982,” he says.
President Evo Morales has sought to deflect criticism he bears some responsibility, suggesting Poopó could come back.
“My father told me about crossing the lake on a bicycle once when it dried up,” he said in December after returning from the UN-sponsored climate conference in Paris.
Environmentalists and local activists say the government mismanaged fragile water resources and ignored rampant pollution from mining, Bolivia’s second export earner after natural gas. More than 100 mines are upstream and Huanuni, Bolivia’s biggest state-owned tin mine, was among those dumping untreated tailings into Poopó’s tributaries.
After thousands of fish died in late 2014, the Universidad Tecnica in the nearby state capital of Oruro found Poopó had unsafe levels of heavy metals, including cadmium and lead.
The president of Bolivia’s National Chamber of Mining, Saturnino Ramos, said any blame by the industry was “insignificant compared to climate change.” He said most of the sediment shallowing Poopo’s tributaries was natural, not from mining.
In hopes of bringing it back, Morales’ government has asked the European Union for $140m for water treatment plants for the Poopó watershed and to dredge tributaries led by the Desaguadero, which flows from Lake Titicaca.
But critics say it may be too late.
“I don’t think we’ll be seeing the azure mirror of Poopó again,” said Milton Perez, a Universidad Tecnica researcher. “I think we’ve lost it.”
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations prepares an export report on the project of Fishery Development Program till 2020
On the 5th of August 2014 in Astana a workshop on the project of Fishery Development Program till 2020 organized by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan was conducted.
It was attended by the Chairman of Fishery Committee of the MEWR RK Kanat Musaparbekov, an expert for fishery of the Sub regional Bureau of FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) on Central Asia Khaydar Fersoy (Ankara, Turkey).
The project of Fishery Development Program till 2020 has been developed within measures on implementation of the Concept on Transition of Kazakhstan to “Green” Economy.
A document has been developed to provide the sustainable development of fishery and conservation of biodiversity of water resources. One of the main objectives is to provide the expanded reproduction of fish resources and other shellfishes, their sustainable using, scientific support, development of measures of State support for fish rearing for sale (aquaculture).
As a result of practical realization of planned measures to 2020 the increase of fish crop is expected in Kazakhstan for 10 thousand ton due to fishery development.
In conditions of tendency for reduction of number of fishing grounds for natural reservoirs of Kazakhstan, an alternative for fishery is the development of fish rearing for sale.
Reorientation from fishery to fish rearing for sale is allowed to reduce an undesirable, limit-exceeding press for natural populations of the natural reservoirs.
The development of fish rearing for sale is expected to give multiplicative social and economic impact. Increase of economic activity on development of fish farms will assist to create new jobs preferably in the rural district.
Representatives of central and local executive bodies, scientific and public organizations, and economic entities, unified into the special working group took part during development of the document. (a text of the project of the program has been replaced at the site of MEWR RK www. eco.gov.kz).
Public hearings with participation of users of fishery waters, representatives of fishery enterprises, public associations of fishery subjects which had made comments and suggestions have been conducted in all regions of the country.
Now also it’s carrying out the code of comments of state bodies and the analysis of suggestions made during the public hearings in the regions.
Based on the results of today’s workshop the FAO expert report on the project of Fishery Development Program in Kazakhstan till 2020 will be prepared.
Press-service MEWR RK
Commercial fisheries should be the alternative for fisheries
On July 4-5, 2014 in Astana was held the workshop-training on the theme “Biodiversity conservation and development of aquaculture” which was organized by the Scientific Research and Education Center “Green Academy” in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan for deputy heads of the interregional Inspections for water basins and state enterprise of the Committee for Fishing Industry.
The workshop aimed the increasing the capacity in the field of biodiversity conservation, development of commercial fisheries and aquaculture.
The training was opened by Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Fishing Industry of the MEWR RK Khairbek Musabayev and Director of the Scientific Recerch and Education Center “Green Academy”, Member of the Council on Green Economy under the President of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Economics, Professor Bakhyt Yessekina.
As it is known, in the Action Plan for implementation of the Concept for 2013-2020 are set tasks to develop the Concept on conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, as well as Fisheries Development Programme. About that preparation process spoke Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Fishing Industry of the MEWR RK Khairbek Musabayev.
Under the workshop the participants have familiarized with international experience and indicators of “green” economy in Kazkhstan, Draft Concept for conservation and sustainable use of biological resources till 2030, indicators for assessing the effectiveness of fisheries, modern technologies in the field of aquaculture, mechanisms for supporting the commercial fisheries and aquaculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan etc.
In presentation and discussion of these issues took part Director of the Scientific Recerch and Education Center “Green Academy”, Member of the Council on Green Economy under the President of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Economics, Professor Bakhyt Yessekina, Director of the department on production statistics and environment of the Statistics Agency Aigul Epbaeva, Deputy Chairman of the Board on science and aquaculture, Republican Association of public union of fishermen and stakeholders for the fisheries “Kazahrybhoz” Serik Temirkhanov, Head of the team of the UNDP project on Desert landscape planning Akmaral Agazhayeva, Senior Analyst, LLP “KazAgroInnovation” Analytical Centre for economic policy in the agro-industrial complex Dmitriy Li.
The participants have familiarized with the Program on support the small and medium-sized businesses of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Project Specialist of the Group for supporting small businesses EBRD manager Tatiyana Sviatkina told about mechanisms for the receipt of grants provided by the bank for business development, including enterprises fish-industrial complex.
The workshop was concluded with a round table organized by the Committee for Fisheries, where were discussed the prospects and potential for development of commercial fisheries and aquaculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Press-service of MEWR RK
On May 21 under the AEF-7 the MEWR RK in cooperation with the SREC “Green Academy” will conduct the panel session «Smart Green Business Forum»
On the platform of the panel session for the first time will be discussed questions on cooperation between government agencies, scientists and experts on promotion of “green” business, increase the responsibility and the role of business in the process of transition to “green” economy. The agenda includes the following issues:
- The role of the “Green Bridge” Partnership Program in promoting the “green” economy;
- Мarket mechanisms for climate change mitigation;
- Transfer of knowledge for the “green” economy;
- Investments into the “green” business;
- The role of business in the context of biodiversity conservation;
- “Green” construction.
In the work of the «Smart Green Business Forum» will take place over 120 people, including heads of government agencies, international organizations, heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Kazakhstan, leading foreign scientists, experts and business companies, NGOs.
The panel session will be held in the Media City’s hall of debates of the Palace of Independence (52, Tauelsizdik Street) from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
UAE to attend Astana Economic Forum
KAZINFORM A representative delegation of state bodies and large private sector of the United Arab Emirates travels to Kazakhstan to take part in the VII Astana Economic Forum.
The forum has turned into a large international event and a good dialogue platform over the recent years for further widening of Kazakhstan-UAE multilateral cooperation, the Kazakh Embassy in Abu Dhabi said.
Head of the UAE delegation, Environment and Water Resources Minister Rashid Ahmad Muhammad Bin-Fahad expressed readiness to sign a memo of cooperation in the sphere of environmental protection at the meeting with Kazakh Ambassador to the UAE Kairat Lama Shariff .
Director of energy and climate change department at the UAE Foreign Ministry Dr. Thani Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, president of the UAE Atomic Energy Corporation Mohamed Al Hammadi, IPIC reps are also expected to participate in the forum.
Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial complex stirs great interest among the state and private companies of the United Emirates. The North-South international transport corridor running through Turkmenistan, Iran to the large seaports of the Emirates will catalyze bilateral trade in 2015. General Manager of the free economic zone of Ajman Emirate Mahmood Al Hashemi intends to establish ties with potential Kazakhstani partners to realize joint logistics projects.
President Nazarbayev kicks off construction of EXPO-2017 complex in Astana
KAZINFORM – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has attended today the capsule laying ceremony at the Astana EXPO-2017 exhibition complex construction site.
Prime Minister Karim Massimov, head of the Presidential Administration Nurlan Nigmatulin, Minister of Environment and Water Resources Nurlan Kapparov, mayor of Astana city Imangali Tasmagambetov, and CEO of “NC “Astana EXPO-2017” JSC Talgat Yermegiyayev were in attendance as well.
By laying the capsule, President Nazarbayev kicked off the construction of the 174 ha-EXPO complex in the Kazakh capital.
After the ceremony the Head of State familiarized with the construction schedule. It is expected that construction and installation works will start in May 2014 and will wrap up in December 2016.
The EXPO-2017 event in Astana will kick off on June 10 and is set to run for three months. It is believed that the exhibition will bring together 100 countries of the world.
