Astana (TDI): Kazakhstan planted a total of 1.15 billion tree saplings between 2021 and 2024, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
The drive is the part of a massive country-wide campaign aimed at reversing deforestation and mitigating severe climate impacts.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had initially set a target of planting 2 billion trees by 2025. However, the deadline has now been extended to the end of 2027 and the Kazkh government has revised its Comprehensive Plan for Reforestation and Afforestation.
As part of the drive, one and two-year-old saplings of both deciduous and coniferous species are being planted across different ecosystems in Kazakhstan. Presently, 251 forest nurseries operate across the country on 3,178 hectares of land, producing over 280 million saplings for future planting.
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Urban greening is also a major focus. Under the presidential initiative to plant 15 million trees in cities and villages countrywide, 14.3 million have already been planted between 2021 and 2024. The plan calls for over 3 million trees to be planted annually through 2025.
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To back this effort, the government has greenlighted massive landscaping and green zone development initiatives for regions across the country, as well as for its three major cities, Astana, Shymkent and Almaty.
Another focus is on the afforestation of the dried bed of the Aral Sea, a major environmental concern in Central Asia. In past three decades, trees and shrubs have been planted on over 600,000 hectares of the former seabed, including 413,000 hectares over the last four years alone.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
