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Kazakhstan has joined 18 conventions, directly related with ecology. The last one was CITES - Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Kazakhstan signed it two years ago. Currently, CITES representatives have come to Southern capital to teach the "rookie" country how to live in peace and accord with nature.

Not in the lists

What's the essence of the convention? Bakytbek Duysekeyev, chief specialist of the department of chief state inspection for the environment protection says that, the document defined three annexes (lists), of the varoius species of plants and animals. In the first one - the species that are under threat of extinction. All in all there are around 600 species of animals and 300 sorts of plants. The strictest ban has been laid upon commercial trade in them. In the second annex there are the species that are still present in wild life, which are still present in the nature, but are under threat of extinction. These are: 1440 animal species and 22000 plants. The international trade with these is allowed, but under strict control of the appropriate authorities. The third list is formed on the states wish and today there are 270 animals and 7 plants in it. Kazakhstani flora and fauna are not represented in that list yet.

The convention's got its own philosophy. It is simple: the commercial trade should not harm the animals and plants. How is it done in reality?

Master hand

The international community is worried about the extinction of wild life for quite a long time, it knows very well how to maintain it and how to control those, who manage to despoil it. According to the convention, each country, before joining it, must define the important authorities: administrative and scientific. The administrative authority in Kazakhstan is the ministry of biologic resources and protection of the environment. Mazhit Turmagambetov, vice minister of natural resources and environment protection is heading it. His word in resolution of many issues is a decisive one: if he signs an application, the animal will come abroad, if he refuses - it'll stay in the country.

The scientific authority in the country officially is the Institute of zoology, to which the institute of botany and the institute of fish farming assist. The science makes its recommendations, the administration makes decisions. These authorities are independent from each other, but they work together.

For those species, which are allowed to be imported abroad, special documents are issued. Several degrees of protection are provided for them, one of which is CITES trademark. And if everything can be faked, coloured, printed, glued and forged in general, to fake a this trademark is impossible. It is true that it's still possible to bribe a customs officer, but seeking conscientious customs officers is not among the tasks of the convention.

What shall we take abroad?

How Kazakhstan is presented at the wild life market? What's carried abroad most often? What's allowed to import and what's strictly vetoed? Bek-Bulat Yeleushov, director of the department of chief state inspection of environment protection has been responding these questions for two years already. During this period 304 permits were issued, which deal mainly with the sturgeon production, Central Asian turtle, separate parts of the animals: saiga horns and bear bile, import of falcons, grown unfree. The permits are issued only for the species from the second list. Within this list the exchange of animals from the zoos of various coutries is carried out.

It is categorically prohibited to bring outside sorts of flora and fauna from the first list, which are in the Red book of Kazakhstan. These are bustard family, dzeren population in the first place. In total in the Red book of the country there are 125 species and subspecies that are protected by the state.

You can't take poachers with convention?

Stephen Nash, representative of CITES secretariat, arriving to Southern capital, gave the highest esteem of Kazakhstan's activities in realisation of the convention. At the world scene the country's efforts look quite serious and respectable. But our people are more than assured that the law is not for the local poachers. The convention can't do anything against the same fish mafia or clandestine transit of horns. The wild life defenders have iron arguments against that: it appears that the convention called each country to strengthen the domestic national sanctions for reparation of damages, inflicted on nature. Kazakhstan's already done this. It's just that not everybody knows it.

If previously for each killed arkhar (rare species of local wild ram, translator's note) the fine was 38 thousand KZT, today it's million three hundred. For one shot bustard beauty an amateur hunter would have to pay half million KZT. The fines grew tens of times. Besides the procedure of criminal punishment for Barbaric treatment of nature has changed. In order to start a criminal case, previously it was necessary to seize a poacher, who would have 33 killed roes. Currently it's enough to kill three of them to get behind the bars.

Soon, so very soon…

And soon, as the environmental specialists assert, Kazakhstan will become very civilised indeed. Ecological legislation in the country is going harder, with the parallel increase of legislative paperwork. Once even ecological code was quite actively discussed. Let's suggest, a person violates the law, when the code has already defined the punishment. Moreover, the code has such power that the punishment is made right away. By the way, in China for the import of prohibited animals they nearly execute you.

Last year OSCE expressed its readiness to help Kazakhstan to prepare this document. Afterwards three or four meetings took place, where the code understanding was developed: what it is, its advantages and disadvantages. As a result it was recognised that the state undoubtedly needs such document, but the legislative mass is not enough, norms and by-laws are lacking, with reference to which the code could operate impeccably. However, the idea of such code is still alive and keeps developing. Only during this ecological year (from 5 June, 2001, to 5 June, 2002). In Kazakhstan 52 government decrees were passed, directed at the environment protection. And this is not all.