$60 m. will be assigned on protection of unique belt forests by the Kazakhstan Government the next year, Igor Koval, the first Deputy Chairman of the Forestry and Hunting Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
According to the information spread by the Kazakhstan Emergency Ministry today, conflagrations have been spread the territory of the Naurzum State Natural Reserve in Kostanay Region of Kazakhstan for a few days. The total area the conflagration has spread exceeds 1,200 hectares. The Naurzurum Reserve is a part of UNESCO World and Culture Heritage as an especially protected ecological territory.
The unique belt and pine forests of the Regions of Eastern Kazakhstan and Pavlodar (the North of Kazakhstan) have been spread by the fire. The cause of the conflagrations is lightning discharges that burned the needle and dry grass.
A big project on protection of these unique forests to be launched in the next year. The project will be implemented on means of $60 m. loan to be granted by World Bank jointly with the Government of Kazakhstan, told Igor Koval.
These are big means, and two thirds out of them will be sent to rehabilitation of the belt and pine forests, strengthening of the material and technical base, full rehabilitation of these forests, planting, applying of new technologies, and protection, he added.