The Development of a Standard for Bird Protection Devices in the Republic of Kazakhstan

"Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center" (BRCC), in collaboration with the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan (FWC), invites you to join the Working Group for the Development of a Standard for Bird Protection Devices in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Since 2018, the BRCC team has been making recommendations for amendments and additions to legislative acts in the Republic of Kazakhstan regarding the issue of bird mortality caused by 6-10/20 kV power transmission lines (PTLs). Today, we are shaping technical recommendations for legal amendments to strengthen bird protection measures and ensure compliance with the Environmental and Administrative Codes of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

We invite representatives from interested ministries and agencies, experts in electrical power engineering and electrical installation design, representatives of power companies, associations, scientific organizations, and NGOs, as well as other individuals interested in and concerned about this issue to join the Working Group. Your participation in this process will contribute to shaping well-informed recommendations to establish legal definitions for such terms as "bird-hazardous structure" and "bird protection devices." Subsequently, you can join the development and discussion of a draft national standard regulating bird protection devices. We expect that, while working on this standard, the group will consider recent technological achievements and best international practices in bird protection.

According to expert estimations, several thousand to several tens of thousands of birds, including rare species such as the golden eagle, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, saker falcon, short-toed snake eagle, gyrfalcon, and others, die annually on PTLs in Kazakhstan. The primary causes of mortality are electrocution on 6-10 kV PTLs, collisions with cables, and the destruction of nesting sites by power line maintenance workers during service operations.

Steppe eagle, who died from electric shock. © M. Pestov

As of today, issues related to bird protection on power infrastructure objects are addressed in the Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Article 246) and the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Protection, Reproduction, and Use of Wildlife" (Article 17). However, no legal enforcement practices exist for these provisions. When it comes to power engineering legislation, the protection of birds on PTLs is unfortunately inadequately reflected. Taken together, this creates conditions for irreparable damage to ornithological fauna in Kazakhstan and neighboring states caused by power infrastructure, effectively leading to a violation of Kazakhstan's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (the Bonn Convention).

We anticipate that such amendments and additions to the Republic of Kazakhstan’s laws and regulatory acts will reduce bird mortality on PTLs.

To join the Working Group or obtain more information about its activities, please contact us..

Our contacts:

Nurlan Ongarbayev, BRCC Executive Director
Email: nongarbayev@brcc.kz

Dmitry Zhukov, Project Manager
dzhukov@brcc.kz