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Today, 01 June 2022, 15:06
In the territory of the state nature reserve “Ile-Balkhash” a project is being carried out for the restoration of the tugai forest. Specialists from the shelter and the World Wildlife Fund are participating in the work, reports NUR.KZ.
According to the WWF Central Asia Program, the tugai forests are home to many wildlife and natural water regulators that accumulate moisture during rain and release it during dry summers.
For decades, the average annual temperature in Kazakhstan has been rising rapidly. Weather conditions across the country are becoming more extreme due to winds, droughts and dust storms.
For this reason, in the southern Balkhash region, for the last 100 years, the Tugai forest has suffered from large-scale fires and water shortages in the Ili River and Lake Balkhash.
Specialists from the World Wildlife Fund and the Ile-Balkhash Shelter are carrying out a project to restore it.
First of all, the soils for planting were determined: small plots of 1-3 hectares in size close to water bodies.
The second stage was to prepare the land for planting. Specialists placed metal fences around the plots and netting around the plants to protect them from hares in winter.
It is assumed that these fences will be needed for a few years, until the seedlings become stronger and in the future can be used in other planting areas.
The next stage is the planting of turanga, sucker and willow seedlings. This year, the experts decided to conduct a series of different experiments on landing technologies in order to use the most successful ones in the future.
In particular, for the effective survival of seedlings in dry climates, for the first time in Kazakhstan a plant cocoon Waterbox was used.
The “Cocoon” with a volume of 15 liters is equipped with a system for collecting condensate and atmospheric rainfall, which allows you to fill it with water once a year. The device will provide the seedling with the necessary amount of water for the growth of the root system.
Another method was to use a hydrogel to increase the efficiency of watering and to retain moisture for a longer period of time. A drip irrigation system was also installed, allowing water to be transported directly to the root zone of the plants.
To fill the irrigation tank with drops from Lake Balkhash, a special 2 km long water pipe was installed. When supplying water, the “Cyclone” filter is used, which makes it possible to purify the lake water from sand and organic particles.
The water pipeline made it possible not only to supply water to the seedlings, but also to set up an automatic bucket filling system for the Bukhara deer, which are kept in the open cage of the Ile-Balkhash reserve.
A total of 12,400 saplings were planted. They will become a source of natural reforestation of large areas: in a few years, natural undergrowth will appear, which can be transplanted in the areas provided by the project.
“Reforestation in this area is our priority. After all, the tugai forest is one of the main investments in the future: it supports animal welfare and the well-being of the whole ecosystem as a whole.
As part of this project, we used different planting approaches and in the future the most effective ones will be scaled.
We look forward with great optimism, because with the support of UTLC ERA JSC, WWF and the Ile-Balkhash reserve, the seedlings will be transformed into extensive strong trees in decades “, – WWF Central Asia Program Director Grigory Mazmanians said.
Upon completion of the project, further control and care of the plantations will be carried out by the Forest Department of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve and the WWF.
Original article: https://www.nur.kz/society/1972014-tugaynye-lesa-vosstanavlivayut-v-reservate-ile-balhash-foto/