The Chinese forestry and meadow management company, Xi'an Lvhuan Forest Technology Service Co. Ltd, is developing a plan for a carbon offset strategy and the development of burned areas in the Abay and Kostanay regions, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
What happened: On March 13, the Forestry and Wildlife Committee met with representatives of the foreign company to discuss the implementation of the memorandum between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Xi'an Lvhuan Forest Technology Service Co. Ltd.
Proposed measures: Representatives of the Chinese side requested information necessary for the development of a plan for the carbon sequestration project of forests, meadows, and wetlands of Kazakhstan.
The company plans to research over 1 million hectares to determine the amount of carbon sequestration. Subsequently, the company will sell carbon offsets on the Verra carbon markets program in China.
Additionally, the company expressed interest in the development of burned areas in the Abay and Kostanay regions with the establishment of two wood processing plants.
Both projects will be overseen by a working group at the Kazakh Invest agency.
Context: In 2022 on September 2, a massive wildfire struck the Kostanay region, and a year later on June 8, the Abay region suffered a similar disaster, deemed the biggest wildfire on the planet at the time. Overall, for the past five years, the country has experienced 3,000 forest fires (600 cases per year), destroying 610,000 hectares of forest and causing damage totaling ₸30 billion (as of March 20, 2024, $66.5 million).
About the company: Xi’an Lvhuan Forest Technology Service Co. Ltd (registered as 西安绿环林业技术服务有限责任公司) is a state-owned forestry and meadow management company operating from Xi’an, China. Established in 1992, it operates under the Northwest Survey and Planning Institute of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China. The company specializes in forestry and grassland survey and science, R&D, forest and grassland resource monitoring services, supervision, consulting, and environmental engineering and restoration.