On July 15, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on a tiger reintroduction program in Kazakhstan.
According to the ministry, the memorandum is a continuation of successful cooperation which has already led to significant achievements in the restoration of biodiversity and infrastructure of the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan.
Located in the Balkhash district of the Almaty region, the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve is an extremely important natural area of the Ile River Delta with the adjacent shore of Lake Balkhash. It is the only preserved river delta in Central Asia, while the others (the deltas of the Syr Darya, Amu Darya, and Chu rivers) have practically degraded due to desertification.
The ministry emphasizes that the return of the tiger to Kazakhstan is not only an important ecological project, but also a symbol of efforts to restore the country’s natural heritage.
This is not the first project to reintroduce endangered species in Kazakhstan. On June 5, 2024, eight Przewalski’s horses were reintroduced into the Altyn Dala Nature Reserve in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan. The horses were transported from the Prague Zoo. The Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources at the time said that a total of 40 wild horses are to be returned to Kazakhstan.
