Tigers to be reintroduced to Kazakhstan 70 years after going extinct
The signing ceremony took place in the Netherlands pavilion at the Astana EXPO-2017, with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Askar Myrzakhmetov, WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini and WWF-Russia Director Igor Chestin.
"Kazakhstan is moving along the path of green development. We are honored to be the first country in Central Asia to implement such an important and large-scale project, that not only will bring wild tigers back to their ancestral home, but also protect the unique ecosystem of the Ili-Balkhash region," said Askar Myrzakhmetov.
He also noted that the country remains open for cooperation in this area adding that the program is a long-term one and requires the creation of a new nature reserve in the southwestern Ili-Balkhash.
"We applaud the Republic of Kazakhstan for the vision and leadership shown in embarking on a most ambitious and exciting conservation challenge to bring back this majestic predator to the country. This is a major contribution to securing a future for tigers in the wild and also a critical step toward protecting the Ili-Balkhash region for its unique biodiversity and important natural systems that people rely on," said Marco Lambertini.
In turn, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Dirk Jan Kop said that his country was one of the first initiators and sponsors of the project and will be allocating $ 200,000 a year for its implementation, as well as $ 100,000 for the WWF.
Kazakhstan's tiger program will contribute to Tx2 - the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, a commitment made by tiger-range governments at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.
If successful Kazakhstan will be the first country in the world to return the tiger to the region, where they went completely extinct more than half a century ago. Kazakhstan's tiger reintroduction program is unique and unprecedented and requires the restoration of a vast riparian forest that is part of the wild tiger's historical range.
The program will also include the protection of existing wildlife, and reintroducing important prey species, such as the endangered kulan (wild donkey) and Bactrian deer that are native to Central Asia, but now extinct in Kazakhstan due to poaching and habitat loss. It will also help protect Lake Balkhash - one of Asia's largest lakes and an important source of water in the Ili River basin - and prevent it from repeating the fate of the Aral Sea.