Shakarim University, in collaboration with the Emergency Situations Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Abay Region, held an international scientific and practical conference on the topic "Comprehensive Strategies and Integrated Approaches to Combating Natural Fires."
Opening the conference with a welcoming speech, Shakarim University’s Vice-Rector for Science, Zhanar Kalibekkyzy, emphasized the importance of forests for both nature and humans. She also highlighted that the conservation and management of forest resources are global priorities today.
The plenary session of the conference was attended by Dmitry Garikov, Deputy Akim of the Abay Region, Alexey Shtykel, Deputy Head of the Emergency Situations Department of the Abay Region, Asset Asainov, Deputy General Director of the "Semey Ormany" State Forest Natural Reserve, as well as representatives from Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The session addressed key issues such as ensuring fire safety within the state forest fund of the Abay Region and its adjacent areas, the automation of the forestry sector, forecasting the fire resistance of forest ecosystems, conducting sanitary cleanup efforts in forests affected by the devastating 2023 fires, and forest restoration efforts.
Asset Asainov, Deputy General Director of the "Semey Ormany" State Forest Natural Reserve, presented a report on preparations for the 2025 fire season. He noted that a fire early detection system is planned to be installed across the entire reserve this year. According to him, the system will include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial surveys, GPS navigation tools for precise location tracking, early fire detection cameras with round-the-clock video surveillance, weather stations for monitoring atmospheric conditions, and devices for detecting lightning strikes, which can ignite natural fires.
In total, during the 2024 fire season, 101 forest fires were recorded within the reserve, affecting 13,807 hectares, of which 8,926 hectares were forested areas.
Deputy Akim of the Abay Region, Dmitry Garikov, discussed the efforts to eliminate the consequences of the catastrophic 2023 fire, which claimed the lives of 15 forest rangers. He reported that out of 63,000 hectares of burned forest, containing 6 million cubic meters of wood, only 158,000 cubic meters had been processed within two years. The regional administration has since attracted two investment companies, and a 7 billion tenge plant is planned for construction to process and manufacture wood products. Some regulatory and legal issues are currently being resolved.
This scientific and practical event was organized to facilitate international experience exchange in combating natural fires and to develop effective strategies and innovative solutions.
