Spanning an area nearly as large as Western Europe, Kazakhstan boasts a wide range of ecological systems due to its varied altitude zones. The country features a rich array of natural environments, ecosystems, and species. Its major ecological systems include forests, which cover 2% of the nation, steppes, deserts, and mountains. Other land uses include pastures, fallow lands, and agricultural areas.

Kazakhstan is particularly noted for its mountain ecosystems and diverse species. It has a remarkable rate of mushroom endemism, with over 120 of its more than 5,000 mushroom species being unique to the region. Additionally, Kazakhstan is renowned for its extensive fossil record, including some of the world’s oldest fossils dating back around 420 million years. Over five percent of the country’s land area is designated as protected.

	Score	Rank	Change
Total Score – NCI 2024	55.2	89	N/A
Land Management	62	50	N/A
Protected Areas (Terrestrial)	31	142	N/A
Ecological Representativeness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	19	176	N/A
Connectedness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	67	40	N/A
Protected Areas (Marine)	100	1	N/A
Pristine Habitat (Converted Land)	100	1	N/A
Sustainable Nitrogen Management (Soil Pollution)	42	76	N/A
Sustainable Pesticide Use	72	27	N/A
Threats to Biodiversity	52	162	N/A
Threatened Species (Terrestrial)	87	89	N/A
Threatened Species (Marine)	80	9	N/A
Threatened Species’ Coverage by Protected Areas	83	118	N/A
Species Coverage by Marine Protected Areas	0	134	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Terrestrial)	26	116	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Marine)	0	10	N/A
Depleted Fisheries
Fishery Pressure in the High Seas	100	68	N/A
Invasive Species Pressure	89	121	N/A
Capacity and Governance	65	72	N/A
Total Management Cost	99	44	N/A
Conservation Culturomics	47	71	N/A
Conservation Legislation	44	60	N/A
Ratification of CBD	100	1	N/A
Ratification of CITES	100	1	N/A
Political Stability and Absence of Violence	50	63	N/A
Control of Corruption	46	81	N/A
Government Effectiveness	52	68	N/A
Future Trends	42	90	N/A
Climate Change Mitigation	42	90	N/A

Four pillars elaborated:

Land Management

Kazakhstan, nestled deep within Eurasia, spans an area of 2.72 million square kilometers. The country showcases a diverse range of landscapes, from deserts and mountains to ecosystems surrounding its inland seas. Over 75% of Kazakhstan is made up of arid and sub-humid lands, which harbor more than 40% of the nation’s species diversity. The foundation of Kazakhstan’s conservation efforts is its system of National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Notable among these are Karkaraly National Park, celebrated for its impressive rock formations and diverse wildlife, and Altyn-Emel National Park, famous for its singing sand dunes and ancient petroglyphs. Kazakhstan’s dedication to environmental preservation is evident in its participation in international treaties such as the Ramsar Convention, aimed at protecting significant wetlands, and its collaborations with organizations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to safeguard species at risk, including the Saiga antelope.

Threats to Biodiversity

In Kazakhstan, biodiversity faces numerous threats primarily due to various industrial activities. These include the extraction of oil, gas, and coal, as well as mining for uranium and other minerals. Additional pressures come from rock and slag runoff, air pollution, land drainage, waste storage, and the construction of roads, electric power transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, channels, water reservoirs, and irrigation systems.

These activities lead to biodiversity loss through several mechanisms, such as contaminating water bodies, soils, groundwater, and the atmosphere; altering habitat conditions; the buildup of radionuclides in living organisms; environmental pollution; changes to soil and subsoil conditions; increased toxicity in habitats; water pollution; the introduction and spread of invasive species; and the accumulation of heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and defoliants.

Capacity and Governance

The Environmental Code of Kazakhstan, enacted on January 9, 2007, brought significant reforms to the country’s environmental protection system. From 2006 to 2008, Kazakhstan implemented numerous government policies aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability across various sectors, including government, businesses, and NGOs. These initiatives promoted a shift towards sustainable development, slated to continue until 2024.

Supporting legislation aligns with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and includes laws and codes related to forestry, water, wildlife conservation, oil, land, minerals, ecological expertise, environmental protection, and protected natural territories, spanning from 1993 to 1997. Key funding priorities encompass sustainable practices in fisheries, hunting, tourism, agriculture, forest management, and energy.

Future Trends

Kazakhstan is dedicated to safeguarding its biodiversity hotspots, regions rich in unique and endangered species, by creating new protected areas and enlarging existing ones. The country is actively preserving the habitats of migratory birds, which are crucial to its ecosystem, through initiatives aimed at protecting wetlands and other key habitats. Additionally, Kazakhstan is advocating for sustainable land management practices to help preserve its biodiversity. These efforts include strategies to prevent deforestation, overgrazing, and other detrimental activities.

Biodiversity

The vast steppe regions of Kazakhstan, including the Kazakh Steppe, are one of the country’s most prominent ecosystems. These grasslands are home to numerous plant species, including feather grass and various types of sagebrush. The steppes also support a range of wildlife, such as the saiga antelope, which migrates across these plains, and birds like the steppe eagle and demoiselle crane. The deserts and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan, including the Kyzylkum and Betpak-Dala deserts, are characterized by their unique adaptations to arid conditions. These areas support hardy plant species such as saxaul trees and tamarisks. The wildlife in these regions includes species like the goitered gazelle, desert monitor lizard, and various reptiles and rodents adapted to the harsh environment.

Kazakhstan’s mountain regions, particularly the Tien Shan and Altai Mountains, add to the country’s ecological diversity. These mountainous areas are home to forests of spruce, fir, and juniper, as well as alpine meadows that support a variety of endemic plant species. The mountains provide habitats for wildlife, such as the snow leopard, Siberian ibex, and the endangered Tien Shan brown bear. The high-altitude regions also support numerous bird species, including the golden eagle and the lammergeier.

In the table below are the number of known species in several main groups, how many of these species are Threatened with extinction, and how many of them are Endemic (unique to Kazakhstan only):

	Species (World rank)	Threatened	% Threatened	Endemic	% Endemic
Mammals	175 (#68)	16	9.1%	4	2.3%
Birds	438 (#80)	26	5.9%
Reptiles	54 (#119)	1	1.9%	1	1.9%
Amphibians	15 (#121)	1	6.7%
Fishes	118 (#178)	19	16.1%	1	0.8%
Plants	5,301 (#62)	14	0.3%	451	8.5%