Today, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs hosted the signing ceremony of the Agreement on the Purchase of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Absorption – Emission Removal Purchase Agreement (ERPA) following the implementation of the first forest climate project in Kazakhstan. The signing ceremony was held with the participation of Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Nysanbayev and Chairman of the Board of JSC NUH Baiterek Rustam Karagoishin. The event was opened by Chairman of the Presidium of NCE "Atameken" Raimbek Batalov, who designated this date as the opening of new prospects for the economy of Kazakhstan.
"The implementation of such projects will allow Kazakhstan to accelerate the process of achieving the goals of sustainable low-carbon development, combating climate change and land degradation. I would like to note that agriculture also has a great prospect for the implementation of carbon offset projects. For Kazakhstani farmers, this is another opportunity to comply with the principles of ESG and conduct processes with zero technology of land treatment, restoration of soil fertility due to the accumulation of organic carbon," Batalov said.
Initially, 1.5 thousand hectares of degraded lands will be restored using local tree species by the Kazakh developer of the SAFC carbon project. The pilot will contribute to reducing emissions and preserving local biodiversity, and about 1.2 million carbon credits will be received during its implementation. Of the 3.3 million trees planned under the project, the first 200 thousand seedlings have already been planted. It is worth noting that low–yielding farmland and degraded pastures will be converted into a forest ecosystem: forest nursery – forest plantations – forest farming - ecotourism.
"This project was supported by the President of Kazakhstan and NCE Atameken and now we are starting its practical implementation. By combining the competencies of SEFE and SAFC, we will demonstrate Kazakhstan's broad opportunities to attract foreign investment," said Yuri Kim, CEO and Founder of SAFC LLP.
In addition to the positive environmental impact, the project's activities will have an impact on the local social and economic environment, creating employment and training opportunities for residents of the area. According to the reduction forecast, 1.2 million tons of CO2 will be removed in 30 years, and 26 tons of CO2 per 1 hectare in 1 year.
As a project partner, the British company SEFE, in addition to capital investments, will provide project development, monitoring, validation, as well as marketing services.
"Investing in high-quality carbon removal projects will be a key component of achieving our common climate goals in accordance with the Paris Agreement. This project will help to produce more than 1 million tons of absorbed emissions and corresponding compensation payments," added Alexander Demidov, SEFE Executive Vice President for Portfolio Management.
It should be noted that following the signing of the Agreement, a meeting was held with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov to discuss issues of cooperation on the example of the implementation of a pilot forest-climatic project.
"Forest reproduction is of paramount importance to us. We strive to create favorable conditions for attracting foreign investment in environmental projects. The government supports projects aimed at restoring ecosystems, reducing the carbon footprint, developing a green economy and other key areas," Olzhas Bektenov stressed.
All necessary procedures have been finalized for today, and the first offtake contract has already been signed. Thanks to the international procedures passed, the way is open for other participants who can also use this experience and invest in carbon farming within the cluster.
The implementation of carbon projects is a new stage in the diversification of Kazakhstan's economy. Projects of agro-industrial zones provide for the introduction of "carbon farming". This means that in the future, along with the profit from the production of agricultural products, Kazakhstan will have the opportunity to earn money from trading greenhouse gas emissions. Recall that the project started last year after the signing of a Memorandum of cooperation between NCE "Atameken", LLP "SAFC" and SEFE Marketing & Trading on the sidelines of the World Climate Summit COP 28 with the participation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Source: https://atameken.kz/ru/news/53123-v-kazahstane-zapushena-pervaya-lesnaya-ekosistema-v-npp-podpisali-istoricheskoe-soglashenie

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ecogeo/press/news/details/885419