ASTANA – The fifth edition of Kazakhstan’s Red Book of endangered species will be finalized and presented by the end of this year, General Director of the Institute of Zoology Roman Yashchenko told Kazinform on Nov. 28. The updated version will include new species in various categories.
Snow leopard. Photo credit: acbk.kz
History of Red Book editions
As Yashchenko noted, according to the legislation of Kazakhstan, the Red Book must be updated every ten years. The first edition was published in 1978, initially covering only vertebrates such as mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish-like animals. The next reprint in 1991 involved some species of mollusks, worms, and insects. Updates for vertebrates occurred in 1996, while the last revisions were made in 2003 (invertebrates) and 2008 (vertebrates).
Many deputies have repeatedly emphasized the need to reprint the Red Book since 2022. Yashchenko explained that delays occurred due to limited funding for scientific research in 2008-2010 when science investments were only 0.012% of GDP.
“Now investments in science reach nearly 1% of GDP. That is, the level of financing has increased ten-fold,” he said.
Main changes in new edition
The updated version of the Red Book now includes 217 animal species. The names of 59 species were clarified, and certain changes were made: two species of mollusks and 17 species of insects were removed. However, 11 new species were added, including scorpions, insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Additionally, the Caspian seal and Przewalski’s horse were previously added by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s decision.
Work on updating
Research for this edition began 15 years ago but accelerated thanks to targeted state financing that allocated 450 million tenge ($950,000) over two years. The Institute of Zoology is developing the first volume on animals, while the Institute of Botany is preparing a second volume on plants.
The updated Red Book will also have an official website soon. The publication, consisting of a limited initial print run of 3,000-5,000 copies, will include three official reference copies distributed to the Kazakh government, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the developer.
