Kazakhstan Wants to Equip National Parks with Video Surveillance System

According to Yerlan Nysanbayev, vice minister of ecology, geology and natural resources, the Kazakhstani-made Sergek video surveillance system will be installed in the Ile-Alatau National Park near the Kolsay and Kaindy lakes.

«It is possible to put Sergek devices on existing lighting poles, on cellular stations or at the entrance to national parks at six meters above the ground. This equipment will include a wind generator, a solar panel, four cameras and an antenna for receiving a signal,» the official said.

As the Ministry of Ecology noted, all data from the Sergek cameras will be sent to the Operational Management Center of the Ile-Alatau National Park.

Sergek cameras will allow inspectors to control this territory more effectively. Visitors often discard garbage or cigarette butts right out there. They can even leave abandoned campfires and commit acts of vandalism. Once cameras are installed, it would make tourists more responsible, let inspectors detect fires, control deforestation, monitor the work of eco-posts and help to fight against poachers.

Earlier, at the end of September, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the new law on natural areas protection. This document will make it easier for national parks to return lands that previously were taken away for tourism but were not used properly. These changes were triggered by the debates around the Kok-Zhailau mountain area, the return of the lands in Ile-Alatau and Burabay National Parks.