Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. ©REUTERS
On June 10 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev took a helicopter tour over the green zone surrounding Astana. Akim (Mayor) Tasmagambetov and Minister of Agriculture Assylzhan Mamytbekov updated the President on the condition of the forests, Tengrinews.kz reports. “The forest planting works around Astana have been carried out since 1997. 55 thousand hectares of trees have been planted during these years, 16.5 thousand of them - inside the Astana city. This means around 12 million of trees and bushes that make the city green and create an excellent ecosystem around the city. The forests are the country’s lungs. Forests and greenery produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide,” Nursultan Nazarbayev told the journalists after the flight. “First trees were planted 10 years ago and today you can see a real 20 meters high forest. I know that people collect berries here in autumn and mushrooms grow here as well. Now we need to create a fauna. The flora is ready and we are creating the fauna. The animals were released today. The birds have a decent food supply here. Roe deers and pheasants were released into these forests. They will become part of the flora and fauna around Astana,” the President added. 50 pheasants and five roe deers were released to Astana forests. “We are currently returning everything that was destroyed during the soviet period of virgin lands cultivation in Kazakhstan. The animals are coming back. This is a good thing we are doing for the country. 60 thousand hectares of trees are being planted in Kazakhstan annually. I don’t know if any other country in the world does that. This is our contribution into the global system of ecological security,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said. By Maksim Popov
On June 10 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev took a helicopter tour over the green zone surrounding Astana. Akim (Mayor) Tasmagambetov and Minister of Agriculture Assylzhan Mamytbekov updated the President on the condition of the forests, Tengrinews.kz reports.
“The forest planting works around Astana have been carried out since 1997. 55 thousand hectares of trees have been planted during these years, 16.5 thousand of them - inside the Astana city. This means around 12 million of trees and bushes that make the city green and create an excellent ecosystem around the city. The forests are the country’s lungs. Forests and greenery produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide,” Nursultan Nazarbayev told the journalists after the flight.
“First trees were planted 10 years ago and today you can see a real 20 meters high forest. I know that people collect berries here in autumn and mushrooms grow here as well. Now we need to create a fauna. The flora is ready and we are creating the fauna. The animals were released today. The birds have a decent food supply here. Roe deers and pheasants were released into these forests. They will become part of the flora and fauna around Astana,” the President added. 50 pheasants and five roe deers were released to Astana forests.
“We are currently returning everything that was destroyed during the soviet period of virgin lands cultivation in Kazakhstan. The animals are coming back. This is a good thing we are doing for the country. 60 thousand hectares of trees are being planted in Kazakhstan annually. I don’t know if any other country in the world does that. This is our contribution into the global system of ecological security,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
By Maksim Popov