ASTANA — Kazakhstan is seeking international support for a fund to protect rare species and conserve biodiversity, while proposing Almaty as the host city for a regional office of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a Leaders’ Summit ahead of the UN biodiversity conference COP17 in Yerevan on Oct. 16.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addresses the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity ahead of COP17 in Yerevan on Oct. 16. Photo credit: Akorda
Addressing the summit, Tokayev highlighted Kazakhstan’s progress in restoring endangered species, including the saiga antelope, while warning of mounting threats to the Caspian Sea ecosystem, notably the declining population of the Caspian seal, reported Akorda.
He called for stronger international cooperation, emphasizing that biodiversity protection was a shared responsibility essential to human well-being, economic resilience and long-term security.
“Environmental priorities, grounded in a balanced approach and concrete measures, must prevail over political disagreements,” Tokayev said, urging countries to focus on practical results and genuine partnerships.
Saiga population reaches 4.7 million
Tokayev cited the recovery of the saiga antelope as one of Kazakhstan’s major conservation achievements. The country is now home to approximately 98% of the world’s saigas, whose numbers have risen from 21,000 in 2003 to 4.7 million as of spring this year.
He also reported progress in protecting the snow leopard, whose population in Kazakhstan has grown from critically low levels in the 1990s to approximately 190 animals. Around 70% of the species’ habitat in the country falls within protected areas.
Tokayev thanked Russia, the United Nations Development Program, the World Wide Fund for Nature and other international partners for supporting efforts to reintroduce the Turan tiger to Kazakhstan. In June, a tiger was released into the wild for the first time in the country in 70 years.
Kazakhstan is also working with partners in the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary to restore the population of Przewalski’s horse.
Tokayev said these achievements reflected years of sustained efforts by government agencies, scientists and international partners.
Caspian seal population falls to 270,000
Despite progress in restoring some species, Tokayev warned that the Caspian Sea’s fragile ecosystem faces growing pressure, with the future of the Caspian seal a particular concern.
According to Tokayev, the seal population has fallen from approximately one million to 270,000 over the past century. Kazakhstan has officially included the species on its list of rare and endangered animals.
He called on the five Caspian littoral states and the international community to intensify conservation efforts, warning against repeating the environmental disaster that befell the Aral Sea.
“We must not allow the Caspian Sea to suffer the same fate,” Tokayev said.
At the first Caspian Ecological Summit in Turkmenistan, he said, Kazakhstan had called for immediate, coordinated action to prevent irreversible damage to the vulnerable ecosystem.
Kazakhstan renews push for international conservation fund
Tokayev informed summit participants of Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish an International Fund for Rare Species and Biodiversity Conservation and invited international partners to join the initiative.
Kazakhstan has also adopted a 10-year National Biodiversity Conservation Program focused on restoring natural habitats, protecting species and expanding the network of specially protected natural areas. A National Genetic Biodiversity Bank is also being established.
Tokayev highlighted broader regional initiatives, including the Astana Declaration on Environmental Solidarity in Central Asia, adopted following the April summit. Kazakhstan is also advocating an interstate program to conserve the Caspian Sea’s resources, with the support of Caspian littoral states.
AI and regional cooperation in conservation
Tokayev called for greater use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve ecosystem monitoring, natural resource management and early-warning systems for environmental threats.
He proposed using the International Center for Artificial Intelligence in Astana as a platform for joint scientific research, biodiversity data analysis, environmental risk forecasting and specialist training.
Tokayev also proposed hosting a regional office of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Almaty. The office could help Central Asian countries implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, facilitate scientific exchange and advance joint conservation projects.
Tokayev reiterated Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish an International Water Organization within the UN system. The initiative, first proposed in 2025, aims to strengthen regional cooperation while remaining open to all interested countries.
