THE PROJECT OF THE BUKETOV UNIVERSITY'S SCIENTISTS RECEIVED PROGRAM-TARGETED FUNDING

Within the framework of program-targeted funding of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scientists of the Faculty of Biology and Geography of named after E.Buketov Karaganda University have launched the project «Methods of digitization of data on flora and fauna and placement on international platforms of biological diversity».

This scientific project is designed for years of 2023-2024. It involves a team of scientists from several regions – Karaganda, Akmola, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan, Atyrau and Mangistau. Scientists intend to conduct a broad study of flora and fauna and form a list of vascular plants of flora. Also, within the framework of the project, the herbarium fund will be fully digitized and placed on an international platform so that researchers around the world will have the opportunity to see and study the biological diversity of Kazakhstan.

In May of this year, a team of scientists went on an expedition, where herbarium material was collected and a preliminary list of about 400 plant species was compiled. Based on field visits, analysis of herbarium funds and literary sources, a complete synopsis of the flora of vascular plants of the Karaganda region will be compiled.

«For today, we have covered 50% of the region's territory. Next year, the research continues. After that, the final list of plants of the Karaganda region will be compiled. It will be published in the form of a monograph, all data will be posted on the university's website, as well as on international scientific platforms. The project involves employees of the Research Park of Biotechnology and Monitoring of the Department of Botany and the Department of Physiology, as well as students of the 1st and 2nd courses», said the Head of the Research park of Biotechnology Communication, Professor M.Y. Ishmuratova.

After the survey of the remaining regions, scientists plan to carry out a complete reissue of the flora of Kazakhstan, and transfer part of the plants to Astana, where genotyping of the flora will be carried out.