2 September 2019
On 2-6 September 2019, the UNESCO Office in Almaty, in cooperation with the Katon-Karagay Biosphere Reserve in Kazakhstan and with contribution from the MAB National Committee of Russia, organizes a summer school in the East Kazakhstan region, where young professionals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will participate.
The “UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: Theory and Practice” summer school aims to bring young participants from existing and future biosphere reserves in Central Asia together to exchange their experiences in managing biosphere reserves and protected areas in their countries, with a goal to foster cross-border cooperation in the field of conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development. The participants will have an opportunity to listen to a number of presentations by UNESCO, MAB experts, biosphere reserve managers, as well as share their own experiences. They will have training sessions, as well as field visits in order to acquire better knowledge on the actual functions and principles of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.In parallel, in order to popularize biosphere reserves, a seminar for bloggers and journalists from Kazakhstan, will be organized, who will have a chance to familiarize themselves with various UNESCO site designations in Kazakhstan, to acquire more in depth knowledge about the biosphere reserves specifically and enhance their skills in conveying the stories on these sites.
It must be noted that Katon-Kargay biosphere reserve in Kazakhstan together with Katunskiy biosphere reserve in Russia forms the Great Altay Tranboundary Biosphere Reserve – the only transnational biosphere reserve from the World Network of Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in Asia region. UNESCO biosphere reserves are learning sites for sustainable development that can also contribute to peace-building, especially across borders through the designation of transboundary sites. As transboundary biosphere reserves require two or more countries to apply together, they represent commitment and cooperation among countries for the conservation of biodiversity. UNESCO welcomes nominations of such transnational designations.
The event contributes to the project “Promoting sustainable development in Kazakhstan through UNESCO-designated sites” funded by the Government of Kazakhstan and implemented by the UNESCO office in Almaty.
Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/young-specialists-of-biosphere-reserves-will-meet-in-the-great-altay-transboundary