Creation and development outlook for botanical garden of Astana city

Gulnara Tokbergenovna, whose idea was to create the Botanical Garden in the city of Astana?

The idea of creating a botanical garden in Astana was expressed by the President of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev in 2012. Therefore, it is symbolic that on July 2, 2018 the President of Kazakhstan opened the botanical garden Astana. Famous scientists from Kazakhstan, as well as CIS countries, Germany, Italy, France were involved in the creation of the concept of a unique facility for the Eurasian Community.

The Botanical Garden should be considered both as a specially protected natural area where the genetic pool of rare and particularly valuable plants is preserved and as a unique scientific base. The following expositions of Kazakhstani flora will be created here: – “Kazakhstani Altai”, “Great Steppe”, “Forest Outlier of Northern Kazakhstan”, “Oak Wood of Northwest Kazakhstan”, “Rare Plants of Kazakhstan”, as well as the exposition of foreign flora plants – “Europe”, “Siberia”, “North-East Asia” and “North America”.

The creation of a botanical garden in Astana is a landmark event, both in the scientific and educational, cultural and educational fields not only of Kazakhstan, but also of the international scientific community.

The facility was created on the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev to become a center of attraction for residents and visitors of the capital as a venue of national and international tourism too.

The total area of the botanical garden including a park zone is 87.9 hectares, out of which the botanical garden occupies 43.2 hectares and 44.7 hectares is for the park zone. 11 km of pedestrian and bicycle paths and 10.5 km of racetracks are laid on the territory of the garden. The botanical garden has an artificial reservoir, through which a pedestrian bridge is built. 89 648 trees and shrubs belonging to 606 taxa have already been planted in the garden.

What is the significance of the Botanical Garden in Astana?

To date, there has been no introductory research institution in Northern Kazakhstan that develops theoretical and applied studies of amenity planting in the region. There were no target institutions for the conservation and sustainable use of botanical diversity in this region either. Now these issues will be solved by the State Botanical Garden of the city of Astana.

Peculiar environment of the region determines the fundamental importance of the botanical garden not only in the system of botanical gardens in Kazakhstan, but also in the international system of botanical institutions. Foreign specialists appreciated the opening of the Botanical Garden in Astana with great interest, which evidenced their involvement in the activities of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Creation and Prospects for the Development of the Botanical Garden in Astana. Theory and Practice.” Scientists and specialists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and France took part there. Pointing out the scientific and practical significance of the botanical garden in the city of Astana, the conference participants expressed deep gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan, N.A. Nazarbayev for his initiative and constant attention in creating this unique facility.