OSCE promotes conservation payment for ecosystem services in Kazakhstan
ASTANA, 8 September 2011 – Charging for ecosytem services to invest in more coherent and effective nature conservation is the focus of a two-day OSCE-organized workshop that started in Astana today.
Fifty participants from state, non-governmental and private organizations from Kazakhstan are attending the event. It is organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in partnership with the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia as part of a joint pilot project to promote the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) concept that encourages mutually beneficial voluntary contracts between consumers and suppliers of ecosystem services.
“PES is a relatively new concept for Kazakhstan. Interest in PES is growing, because it gives more options and instruments to local communities to manage their own resources and generates incentives for improved conservation activities at grass-root level,” said Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana. “The concept enhances public participation in decision-making, brings businesses closer to environmental issues and ensures additional funding for better environmental conservation and protection.”
Experts will present an analysis of the institutional and legal basis for PES application in the country, and encourage a multidisciplinary discussion on the practicalities of the introduction of ecosystem services with a focus on land, water, air and biodiversity resources conservation.
"In order to fulfil our commitment to conserve natural resources, the country should engage in ’green growth,’ that is, achieve economic growth while maintaining the integrity of the environment, optimize water use, and improve the criminal and administrative law governing liability for environmental violations in the commissioning and operation of water recycling systems in industrial plants," said Tolebai Adilov, the Director of the MOE’s Kyoto Protocol Department.
The workshop will result in recommendations for the upcoming 7th Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” in Astana. The event is part of the Centre’s activities to promote sustainable development, green growth and environmental security in Kazakhstan in the context of its 2007-2024 national environmental programme.