This paper presents the results of the field study on species composition, geographical distribution, phytocoenotic diversity and resources of crop wild relatives (CWR) in Kazakhstan's ranges of the Tien Shan Mountains. Taxa of not only cultivated genera of crops are taken into account, but also a wider range of species of high socio-economic importance, including medicinal, fodder, essential oil and other species. List of CWR includes 289 species belonging to 39 families and 145 genera. Among them, 9 species listed in the Red Data book of Kazakhstan: Pistacia vera, Rheum wittrockii, Armeniaca vulgaris, Malus sieversii, Allium pskemense, Allochrusa gypsophilloides, Sorbus sibirica, Vitis vinifera and Artemisia cina. The highest plant diversity is recorded in intermountain plains and river valleys where meadow vegetation forms a high abundance of forage and resource plants. The diversity of wild fruit plants is concentrated in gallery forests. CWR of cereals are confined to dry steppe slopes in low piedmont belt. The populations of almond, pistachio, plum and cherry were recorded at dry slopes of low mountain belt. The estimation of the raw material base for 13 resource plants is given. Only Rumex tianschanicus, Berberis sphaerocarpa are recommended for industrial harvesting; for local pharmacy chain - Mentha longifolia, Origanum vulgare, O. vulgare subsp. gracile, Ziziphora clinopodioides, Hypericum scabrum, Hypericum perforatum, and five Rosa species.

Fraxinus sogdiana Bunge (family Oleaceae) is a rare, relict species, with a disjunctive distribution range. The species is listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. The aim of this study was to determine anatomical features and identify the phytochemical composition of F. sogdiana growing in different soils in Kazakhstan. The research objects were vegetative organs collected in the Temirlik River Valley of the Almaty region (the State National Nature Park “Sharyn”) and the Boralday River Valley of the Turkestan region (the Syrdarya–Turkestan Regional Nature Park) in 2020–2022. A comparative anatomical analysis of the vegetative organs of F. sogdiana revealed similarities and differences between the specimens studied. The level of significance was taken at 5%. The main feature identified in the anatomical structure of the F. sogdiana leaves was the presence of large special motor cells in the upper and lower epidermis. A study of the phytochemical composition identified the ten most important biologically active substances with antimicrobial, antitumor, diuretic, and antioxidative properties. In the study areas, soils were different in terms of conditions and time of soil formation. The soil profile of the floodplain terrace of the Temirlik River was found to be stratified with alternating interlayers of light loamy and sandy loam granulometric composition with inclusions of pebbles; differentiation of the soil profile into genetic horizons was poorly pronounced. The soil profile of the floodplain terrace of the Boralday River had a clear differentiation into genetic horizons.

Development patterns for vegetation on the Novo-Caspian plain are established on the basis of the study of spatiotemporal series. Three types of primary successions have been recognized, i.e., psammosere, halosere, and meadow sere, which differ in environmental conditions, regular features of temporal dynamics, and formation stages. The stages of the succession were identified on the basis of environmental and physiognomic properties of the dominants of vegetation communities.

Populus pruinosa is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. The habitats of the species are associated with the floodplains of desert rivers, including the Syr Darya and the Ili. The reduction in tugai forests is associated with changes in the hydrological regimes of rivers, the reduction in groundwater, fires, and grazing. The aim of this research is to advance our knowledge of the woodlands and forests of P. pruinosa in Kazakhstan by analyzing the cenoflora and forestry characteristics, conducting ecological niche modeling to select suitable habitats for ecological restoration, and identifying rehabilitation strategies. The vegetation was studied using traditional methods of geobotanic field research in 2021 and 2022. Ecological niche modeling includes the calculation of all the environmental variables that are significant for the species, taken in their optimal ranges, and identifying the intersection of all the favorable conditions. To identify these variables, geographically linked meeting points of the studied species, climatic and soil conditions, relief characteristics identified by the SRTM and raster sets of the environmental variables (WorldClim), and distances to watercourses and settlements were accepted for consideration. A total of 102 environmental variables were used.