About Kazakhstan
About Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is the world’s largest country without direct access to the World Ocean. Much of its territory consists of deserts (44%) and semi-deserts (14%). Steppes cover 26% of the country, while forests account for 5.5%. Kazakhstan has approximately 8,500 rivers. The north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea lies within Kazakhstan, and the Aral Sea is shared between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The country is home to around 48,000 large and small lakes, the largest of which are Balkhash, Zaysan, and Alakol. Its distance from the oceans contributes to a sharply continental climate. Kazakhstan’s administrative and territorial structure includes
The population of Kazakhstan exceeds
The weather of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has a sharply continental climate, characterized by large temperature differences between summer and winter, dry air, and low precipitation. All four seasons are clearly defined: cold winters, hot and dry summers, a short and changeable spring, and a warm autumn. In the north, winters are more severe (temperatures can drop to −45°C) and summers are warm. In the south, winters are milder (around 0°C), while summers are hotter, with daytime temperatures reaching +40°C and above.
-45in the winter
+40in the summer
The flora and fauna of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s flora and fauna are highly diverse thanks to its vast range of landscapes—from steppes and deserts to the Tien Shan and Altai Mountains. The country is home to many unique species, including several listed in the Red Book, such as the snow leopard, the Tien Shan brown bear, and the kulan, as well as pink flamingos and gazelles. Kazakhstan hosts rich wildlife, with more than 180 mammal species and around 500 bird species, along with numerous reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Its vegetation includes saxaul in desert areas, as well as juniper, pine, birch, and a wide variety of steppe grasses and flowering plants, reflecting the country’s strong biodiversity.
Strategic vision and documents
Kazakhstan has adopted the following Strategic Documents:
- 1Strategy for achieving Carbon Neutrality until 2060
- 2NDC to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 1990 levels by 2035
- 3Concepts for the transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to a «green economy»
- 4The concept of managing all types of waste for 2026-2030
National initiatives
Concessional financing for recycling
Support for investment projects financed through utilization fee revenues.
EcoQoldau Programme
Incentive payments to support waste collection, sorting, and recycling.
Waste Management Concept
The first in Central Asia, providing for the introduction of digital tracking of all waste streams and the establishment of a National Waste Management Operator.
Tiger reintroduction
The program to return the tiger to Kazakhstan is aimed at restoring the species population in the ecosystems of the Balkhash region, based at the Ile–Balkhash Reserve. In the autumn of 2024, two Amur tigers were brought in from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and on November 12, 2025, a Joint Plan for the reintroduction of the Amur tiger into the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan was approved.
Reintroduction of the Przewalski horse
A project on the reintroduction of the Przhevalsky horse in Kazakhstan has been implemented since 2023. At the moment, 13 Przhevalsky horses are kept on the territory of the Altyn-Dala State Nature Reserve. By 2029, it is planned to gradually import up to 40 individuals of the Przewalski horse to form a stable population of this species.
Conservation of saiga populations
The restoration of the saiga population has become one of the most successful environmental examples - today more than 98% of the world population of the species lives in Kazakhstan, the number of which is estimated at up to 5 million individuals. These achievements have received international recognition, including a change in the status of the saiga on the IUCN Red List and the victory of the Altyn Dala initiative in The Earthshot Prize in 2024.
Taza Kazakhstan
This is a large-scale national environmental campaign under the auspices of the Presidentof the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Tokayev, aimed at creating an ecological culture through cleaning territories (settlements, natural objects, banks of reservoirs), planting trees (millions of seedlings) and combating unauthorized landfills, involving young people, business and government agencies, with a focus on waste management, innovation and landscaping.
The 2 Billion Trees project
This is an initiative in Kazakhstan, with the aim of creating woodlands until 2025, and then extended until 2027. The goal is to plant and sow $ 2 billion. saplings of tree and shrub species, including saxaul, pine, birch and others, in the state forest fund to restore forests and improve the ecological situation.
The International Fund for Biodiversity Conservation
This is an initiative of Kazakhstan that will unite the efforts of states, international organizations (UNDP, UNESCO, FAO) and NGOs to finance the protection of ecosystems, develop ecotourism, introduce eco-technologies and raise awareness, working according to the best international standards for sustainable development and conservation of flora and fauna.
UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan
The UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan has been established in Kazakhstan (Almaty). It was approved by the UN member states in March 2025, opened in August 2025, and its goal is to contribute to the achievement of 17 global SDGs by 2030.