Kazakhstan to establish forestry cooperation with South Korea

Kazakhstan plans to open a regional training center for foresters and a representative office of the Asian Forestry Organization. This was stated at the World Congress in Seoul. Participants from 144 states took part in the event, including Kazakhstan. The Kazakh delegation studied the methods South Korea uses in the field of forestry, as well as studied the possibility of obtaining funding from the UN Green Climate Fund. Back in 2018, specialists of the South Korean forest service assisted Kazakhstan in planting saxaul trees at the bottom of the Aral Sea.

“I have experience in a project on prevention of desertification in China. I also participated in a project in Kazakhstan. The bottom of the Aral Sea is located high and it is very difficult to achieve good results in comparison with the desert. Despite this, Kazakhstan gained a lot of experience, there has been progress, and a suitable planting method that is appropriate for this particular region was found,” said Son Yo Whan, professor at Korea University.

“The President instructed to plant 1.1 million hectares with saxaul trees by 2025. We have already done some work in this field. Last year, 100,000 hectares were planted. The spring planting also took place earlier this year, and now we will plant 250,000 hectares annually,” added Aliya Shalabekova, Kazakh vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources.

Translation and editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova