Ecosystems
Nature’s pharmacy on the steppe: medicinal plants of Kazakhstan
Our recent article marking World Wildlife Day 2026 highlighted the important role of medicinal and aromatic plants in ecosystems and human well-being, touching briefly on Kazakhstan’s rich flora. Here, we take a closer look at three of the country’s medicinal species—common wormwood, licorice, and sea buckthorn—representing just a few of the many plants that play…
Read MoreTugai recovery gains momentum with record 2025 plantings
In 2025, Kazakhstan accelerated the restoration of tugai forests in the southern Balkhash–Ili delta, thanks to a record-breaking number of plantings. Tugai forests—riparian woodlands that function as vital “oases” along rivers in Central Asia’s arid regions—are central to the country’s tiger reintroduction and rewilding program, which aims to revive Southern Balkhash ecosystems and create thriving…
Read More2026 will mark another milestone for tiger restoration in Kazakhstan
Siberian Tiger at Zurich Zoo; Wikimedia commons; Photo credit: albinfo; GNU Free Documentation License, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License In the first half of 2026, Kazakhstan’s Amur tiger reintroduction program will reach another pivotal milestone with the planned arrival of a small group of tigers from Russia. Between January and June, three to four Amur tigers are expected to…
Read MoreTigers come roaring back to Kazakhstan
In September 2024, two adult Amur tigers—12-year-old female Bodhana and nine-year-old male Kuma—were translocated from a sanctuary in the Netherlands to Kazakhstan’s Ili-Balkhash Nature Reserve, marking the end of almost 70 years without tigers in the region. The homecoming is one stage of a long-term program to revive Kazakhstan’s lost tiger population and restore the…
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