Lisbon, 24 April 2025 - Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Jean Galiev, held a meeting in Lisbon with Dr Carlos Albuquerque, the member of the Board of Directors of Portugal’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), along with the organisation’s experts.

During the meeting, the Kazakh diplomat outlined his country’s environmental initiatives aimed at preserving biodiversity and improving the quality of the natural environment. Among the initiatives presented was the national programme Green Kazakhstan, which underscores the country’s commitment to ecological sustainability.

Ambassador Galiev highlighted Kazakhstan’s substantial efforts to restore populations of endangered species and to expand protected natural areas. He noted measurable progress in increasing the numbers of several iconic species, including the snow leopard, saiga antelope, Przewalski’s horse and the houbara bustard.

Particular emphasis was placed on the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to reintroduce the extinct-in-the-wild Turan tiger into the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve — a flagship project in Kazakhstan’s broader environmental agenda.

The Portuguese side welcomed Kazakhstan’s conservation initiatives and commended the President’s leadership in safeguarding endangered species through reintroduction and population restoration efforts. The country’s work to protect and revive the saiga antelope population was singled out for particular praise.

Ambassador Galiev also noted the considerable potential for deepening bilateral cooperation in the field of environmental protection, particularly in safeguarding rare species and supporting their natural proliferation.

The discussion also covered potential collaboration between the two nations within the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as other international environmental platforms.

The Portuguese delegation expressed a strong interest in visiting Kazakhstan in the near future.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-lisbon/press/news/details/983305?lang=kk