Intensive anthropogenic activities on the territories of SPAs, economical activities near it, poaching and natural disasters lead to degradation of important biodiversity, lands and natural resources of Central Kazakhstan.

Project aim:
Conservation of biodiversity and support to sustainable natural resources use of the 3 SPA of Central Kazakhstan: Kyzylaray and Ulytau State Natural (Zoological) Reserves, Karkaraly State Natural Park and Reserve by the local communities of the settlements surrounding the reserves through involvement into environmental tourism.

Project tasks:
- Creation in Central Kazakhstan of 3 eco-sites for involvement in ecotourism local communities whose territories border SPAs territories.
- Training of local people in handcraft production. Assistance in produce realization and market analysis to increase produce competitive ability.
- Assistance in support of financial sustainability of eco-sites.
- Attraction of foreign and Kazakhstan tourists to created eco-sites. Wide public informing about Central Kazakhstan environmental tourism, based on involvement of local communities.

Project results:
Three eco-sites, which involve local community?s members in work in the field of ecotourism, created on the base of three settlements close to SPAs. Locals educated, trained and work under the principles of eco-sites with interest, getting good income and developing the idea of eco-sites.

Special Rural Fund (U.S. $ 10 000), which provides interest-free loans to villagers for the creation of small businesses, related to ecotourism (guest houses, guide services etc) created and successfully work on special with proven dependability.

Involvement of locals into ecotourism provided them with alternative income and also allowed decreasing anthropological load on mentioned SPAs through discouraging people from direct use of natural resources (forest logging and poaching). Cases of poaching decreased on about 10% (as compared with period before the project start) and violations of other environmental law decreased much, depending on its type and kind (unauthorized haymoving ? 15%, pasturing on the territory of SPA ? 40% etc).