The national policy in land management, legislative and institutional frameworks, absence of economic stimulus, insufficient level of knowledge and low potential of land users-all these factors, as well as weak monitoring and researches level, are the basic reasons of land degradation in Kazakhstan. Katon-Karagay area, as other rural areas, faces growth of livestock of private farmers. For cattle breeding pastures reounf the settlements are intensively used, and thus, degradation of these territories grows every year.

The majority of the remote pastures are practically not used, as most part of the farmers doesn?t have possibility for seasonal pasturing on the more favorable fodder lands. As estimated, more than 75 % of the pastures are located 5 km round the settlement, 16 % on a distance of 5-7 km round the settlement, and about 6-10 % is the remote pastures. The seasonal pasturing system worked in the soviet time has been destroyed. And now only limited number of well-founded cattlemen could use outrun pasturing. Due to poor awareness and rare illumination of the land degradation process, cattle breeders do not reflect on pastures degradation and its social, economic and ecological consequences. Only large farming companies (10-20 %) start to realize negative influence of pastures degradation on efficiency of animal industries. But these farmers often could see only economic consequences of degradation, not the ecological one.

Project aim:
To reduce anthropogenous pressure and land degradation near to the Katon-Karagaj National Park pastures turnover management on the limited pasture areas round the settlement; creation of a demonstration site to train farmers, local population and local authorities in pastures improvement methods and to demonstrate possibilities of cooperation between separated farmers for restoration of the outrun cattle breeding during summer time.

Project tasks:
- To develop and implement the pastures turnover scheme near Katon-Karagay village
- To rehabilitate remote cattle breeding for summer period
- To radically improve the degraded site near Katon-Karagaj village for demonstration of efficient pastures restoration scheme and improvement of haymaking for farmers, local community, and local authorities
- To raise local community awareness in 7 rural districts about efficient methods of pasturing, on example of experience of Katon-Karagaj village

Project results:
- Realization of pastures turnover scheme on the territory of 1500 hectares is started.
- Implementation of the remote pastures usage scheme allows compensating lack of 8000 hectares of pastures
- Population of 7 rural districts of Katon-Karagaj area will get knowledge in pastures turnover management
- Land degradation on the territory of 1500 hectares will be stopped and pastures restoration process starts
- Farmers of 7 rural districts will improve knowledge in efficient pastures management
- As local authorities (Akimat) doesn?t have legislative mechanisms to regulate and control cattle breeding round settlements, a new practice will be tested (the pastures round the settlement will be transferred to one person for a short -term rent, so that he could control cattle breeding round the settlement). In case of success of the practice, it can be used in other settlements with similar conditions
- Initiative group, recently created, will raise the organizational and expert potential during performance of the project