The ribbon-like pine forests of North Kazakhstan represent the principal territorial intrazonal and azonal biotopes. Integrated bio-geographic studies of the pine forests’ status were performed in the Beskaragai and Chaldai Nature Reserves in the Pri-Irtysh River basin within, at present, the climate–change most susceptible transitional parkland-steppe zone of Central Asia, adjoining the West Siberian Lowland. The investigations followed the regional topographic gradient with a series of mapped sites characterizing the spatial relief patterns of the pristine forest distribution and the associated phytocenoses. The results revealed marked natural arboreal cover restoration differences between the geographically close upland and lowland forest ecosystems. The regional tree growth dynamics show the varying intensity of the pine seedlings’ succession, the tree stands’ biomass productivity and the environmental stability, weakened by the extreme continentality and progressing aridification along with adverse anthropogenic ecological impacts. The specific geomorphic, soil and hydrological conditions are the principal determining factors. The more vital plain and lowland pine forests host the floristically richer fescue-dominated communities compared to the more fragile and precipitation-poorer upland pine settings. The latter forest ecosystems display a higher vulnerability to the current climate change, generating tree drying, forest fires, and to modern human activities such as logging, herding and recreation. The research conclusions provide new insights on the natural ribbon-like pine forests’ sustainability and adaptation to the ongoing continental warming triggering fundamental environmental transformations in Central Asia’s parklands.

The study of planktonic animals of the Caspian Sea is topical and, during the last centuries, has brought and continues to bring new results. This is an inevitable process attributed to the introduction of non-indigenous predatory representatives of zooplankton by ballast water of ships. During the study period, the zooplankton of the Middle Caspian Sea was represented by 13 taxa and consisted mainly of non-indigenous species typical of the Palearctic region. Native fauna was represented by three species—cladoceran Evadne anonyx, Podonevadne camptonyx, and copepod Halicyclops sarsi during the study period. The quantitative variables of zooplankton did not reach a high level in May 2020 and 2021 compared to the data of previous years. Cladocerans Podonevadne camptonyx, copepods Acartia tonsa, and larvae of Cirripedia dominated in 2020. By 2021, the dominant species of last year had been replaced by the cladoceran Evadne nordmanni. One-way ANOVA analysis detected significant differences in the quantitative variables of cladocerans and copepods between different years of zooplankton study. The decreasing abundance, biomass, and alteration of the dominant zooplankton species in the Middle Caspian Sea during the study period may be associated with the feeding type of predator species and a slight elevation of water salinity.

Современные тенденции развития экологического туризма в Казахстане

Sustainable tourism development has become an increasingly important strategy for peripheral regions seeking to diversify local economies while maintaining environmental and social sustainability. However, the mechanisms through which tourism contributes to sustainable regional development remain insufficiently understood, particularly in post-Soviet and resource-based regional contexts. This study examines the relationships between infrastructural resources, local community participation, regional promotion, support for agro-ecotourism, tourism development, and sustainable regional development in the North Kazakhstan region. The study further investigates the mediating role of tourism development in transmitting the effects of regional factors to broader sustainability outcomes. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire survey conducted among residents and stakeholders of the North Kazakhstan region (N = 232). The proposed conceptual model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that infrastructure and regional resources (β = 0.247, p < 0.001) and local community participation (β = 0.241, p = 0.001) exert significant positive effects on tourism development. In contrast, regional promotion and support for agro-ecotourism do not show statistically significant direct effects. Tourism development demonstrates the strongest positive influence on sustainable regional development (β = 0.620, p < 0.001) and significantly mediates the relationships between infrastructural and social factors and sustainability outcomes. The study contributes to sustainable tourism literature by developing a mediation-based framework that conceptualizes tourism development as a transmission mechanism linking regional resources and community participation to long-term socio-economic sustainability. The research also expands empirical evidence from peripheral and post-Soviet regional contexts that remain underrepresented in tourism sustainability studies. The findings emphasize the strategic importance of infrastructure investment, community engagement, and integrated regional planning for achieving sustainable tourism-driven development in peripheral territories.

This study presents the adaptation features of Humulus lupulus populations to environmental factors in Kazakhstan.