Capacity Building Program in Kostanay Oblast, Republic of Kazakhstan

An Arc GIS training workshop was held on November 3, 2007 at the project site of Kostanay Oblast of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Karamendy village of Naurzum district, through the Ak Tyrna (Siberian Crane) Information Resource Center.  The training was conducted within the framework of the Capacity Building Program for the reserve staff and project sites, developed by the Kazakhstan National Coordination Unit of the SCWP.

The goal of the Program: delivery of research and informational materials developed within the framework of the project and training for game reserve staff, employees of the Forestry and Hunting Committee, and NGO leaders in using these resources.

GIS training workshop at the Ak Tyrna Information and Resource center in Karamendy village, Kazakhstan

The program consists of seven main stages:

1.   Waterbird monitoring and field studies conducted jointly with the employees of the game reserve, delivery of survey methods and training.

2.   Training of the reserve staff, the employees of the Forestry and Hunting Committee, and project staff in management planning methods for protected areas.

3.   Training of the reserve staff in working with GIS maps and databases, delivery of all designed maps and informational materials.

4.   Training of the reserve staff, the employees of the Forestry and Hunting Committee, and NGO leaders in ecotourism development and providing assistance in the development of ecotourism strategies.

5.   Preparation of an atlas of rare and threatened bird species and training of the reserve inspectors and the society of huntsmen and fishermen.

6.   Organization of training for international tours and tours on experience exchange in Kazakhstan.

7.   Assistance in organization of courses on computer literacy, e-mail and internet use.

In the first years of project implementation the National Coordination Unit dealt with program development, but the time to share experiences and to deliver knowledge has come. The following people were trained in the field of preparation and management planning: the director of the reserve and the deputy director of science, a FHC employee and the project experts. The Management Plan was prepared and discussed with the concerned parties in several stages.

The reserve employees took part in waterfowl monitoring and field studies, so, the survey methods have been delivered and they have been trained. All reports will be put together and delivered to the game reserve upon project completion.

The Strategy on Ecotourism has been developed, and training has been partially conducted, the main load will be in the last years of project implementation.

GIS training workshop participants

For the first time in the history of the game reserve, maps of ecosystems, vegetation and soil have been prepared; the Russian party has developed the database on key project sites. In order for this valuable material not to be just put aside, but used for making ecological monitoring and scientific studies, the project expert in GIS and Databases - Vladimir Telinov - has prepared the training materials, the presentation and informational training disks for the training workshop at the project site.

The employees of the science department of the reserve, leaders of the Naurzum BIO NET NGO, the director of Ak Tyrna Information and Resource Center, experts of the UNDP/GEF "Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Altay-Sayansk Ecoregion of Kazakhstan" international project took part in the training.

In March 2008 the project experts will start cycles of workshops for inspectors of the game reserve and the society of huntsmen and fishermen; currently they are negotiating on conducting a workshop and training tours on ecotourism for the staff of the game reserve, NGO leaders and active groups at the project sites.

In 2008 the project experts plan joint activities with similar projects on organization of joint training programs, but there is too little time left for their realization within the framework of our project.

For more information on this program please contact:
 
Vera Inyutina, Project Manager
Astana city, Kazakhstan
tel./fax.: 8-317-2-34-01-45
vera.inyutina@mail.ru
http://www.scwpkaz.kepter.kz/

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Last update: 24 November 2007

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