Project Detail

Stimulation of innovative new methods for conserving and sustaining biodiversity (Amanat) (Enhancing awareness of the local community as to the area biological diversity, about the necessity and benefits of environmental protection, searching and introduction of alternative methods of the use of nature without doing harm to local ecosystems)

Activities for propagation and education in environmental protection and rational use of nature are undertaken on a low-slow scale, basically, with the efforts of non-governmental and international organizations; up to now, mostly urban and district centre population is engaged in these activities, including a very small per cent of rural dwellers. Meanwhile, it should be at the local (rural) level that the problems of biodiversity conservation, land degradation, water resources conservation, rational use of nature and sustainable rural development must be resolved.

Despite the catastrophe, the Aral Sea is still a unique wetland area in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Kambashsky lakes, the Syr-Darya mounth and delta are most abundant in biological resources. The Syr-Darya mouth harbingers many rare bird species, 10 out of them are included into the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and 4 - in the International Red Book. At present the fish and bird numbers are constantly declining. It is basically accounted for by local intensive fishery to result in sharp reduction of fish numbers and species, and also in destruction of local birds nesting places and disturbance of migratory birds? resting conditions. Of great damage to birds? numbers is shooting birds that nest in the reeds.

The project is aimed at promoting local community awareness of the Aral Sea ecological problems through the involvement of mass media, holding workshops and rural meetings, as well as at intensifying female activities and self-realization. In the aul districts of the Aral Sea region (Kambashsky, Raimsky, Bugunsky, Amanutkulsky. Karaterensky, Mergensaisky) citizens? action groups of volunteers among school teachers, nature protection agencies? staff and local activists will be formed. Events will be timed to coincide with the international ecology dates in the course of the Project, and the network will be created for propagation and education among the local rural population, and women, especially, to broadly involve them in search for alternative methods of rational use of nature encouraging sustainable rural development.

Expected outcomes:
?stepping up of local people participation in the solution of ecological problems through information campaign, search of new and traditional methods of nature rational utilization, preparation of new projects;
?extension of NGO activities into villages and growth of its role in the region;
?NGOs work in cooperative effort with the local population, local authorities and mass media.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Aral Aelderi

Country:

Kazakhstan

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 25,565.00

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 23,170.00

Project Number:

KAZ/01/10

Start Date:

10/2001

End Date:

3/2003

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

The local community will be involved in all project activities ranging from environmental event and activity development, and seminar and training organization. The search for alternative envionmentally sustainable methods will broaden the environmental perspective of the local community and will promote the active participation of the local community in environment protection measures.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

This project is comprised primarily of an informational campaign project, targetted firstly towards the Aral district rural population, and secondly towards the district, regional and National authorities. For the first target group, the information campaign is aimed at environmental education and maximum involvement in the identification and evaluation of environmentally sustainable alternatives to the intensive fishery in the area. With regard to the second group, the information campaign will be directed at attracting government interest in the project and searching for future project partners. The information campaign will also work to organize workshops with the participation of different target groups, the preparation and distribution of leaflets, the placement of ecological information boards in the villages, the organization of events/actions to celebrate international dates of environmental protection, the publication of materials on environmental protection, and the publication of a booklet on the project results, to be distributed among district, regional and Republican administrations and potential donors

Notable Community Participation

This project is directed towards enhancing the activity and the initiative of the population of several villages in the Aral region. It will be based on environmental education, and a broad informational campaign will teach the population about ecological problems. The local community will be involved in all stages of project implementation, including conducting public opinion polls about environmental change in the region and traditional methods of resource management, actively participating in environmental events, identifying and evaluating alternative forms of economic development to bring sustainable development to the villages.

Gender Focus

Women are a target group of the project, and will be actively involved in all the project activities. They will participate in the search for, and the introduction of new methods and technologies that lead to the sustainable development of villages

Project Results

?Increase of the local community nature protection activities;
?14 volunteer centres have been established;
?Active involving of women and youth in the work;
?Average percent of the local community participation (incl. 14 villages) has been 80-90 %,
?Realization of actions on construction of dams on lakes, clearing of channels, repairing of sluices, manufacturing and accommodation of the birds artificial nests on lakes, carrying out of round tables, clearing of green belts around the villages, installation of information boards, photos exhibitions arrangement,
?Articles in newspapers have been published, TV broadcasts have been shown on TV channels;
?2000 pieces of booklet, leaflet about the project activities and methodical brochure on artificial nests production have been produced and widespread;
?The main statistics data about the project: 19 information boards have been set up in 14 villages, 69 lectures have been done at 21 school, 88 meetings, 3 exhibitions have been taken place, 89 interrogations, 45 actions have been arranged, 399 volunteers and 1500 local community members have been involved into the project activities, 3 trainings for volunteer centres and 1 seminar on upon the project completion have been arranged with participation of the local community, NGOs, local authorities representatives;
?Exchange of experience between volunteer centres have strengthened;
?4 of the volunteer centers have registered as NGOs and have got grants from GEF SGP in 2005 (OP3 projects) for realization of the projects on land degradation thematic area.

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