Roundtable on Legal Responsibility for Poaching in the Framework of SDG-15 Implementation

On December 5, 2024, the Department of Customs, Finance, and Environmental Law at the Faculty of Law, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU), held an international roundtable dedicated to the issues of legal responsibility for poaching. The event was organized as part of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG-15) – "Life on Land," and in honor of the 90th anniversary of KazNU and in accordance with the message of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, titled "Fair Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism."

Leading experts and specialists in law and ecology participated in the roundtable. The main topics of discussion included the development of legal norms for combating poaching, the ecological consequences of poaching, and the legal assessment of environmental violations.

Participants of the roundtable:

- Ualikhan Akypbekuly Akhatov, Dean of the Faculty of Law, KazNU, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor.
- Guldana Amangeldievna Kuanalieva, Head of the Department of Customs, Finance, and Environmental Law, KazNU, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor.
- Erlan Kenesbekuly Moldakhmetov, Prosecutor of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of Almaty.
- Erlan Kabituly Bairov, Senior Prosecutor of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office.
- Saken Sarsenbaevich Bertleuov, Senior Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Aktobe (online).
- Edvardas Juchnevicius, Professor at Gdansk University (Poland, online).
- Jumanzar Tashtemirovich Khalmumonov, Professor at Tashkent State University of Law, Doctor of Legal Sciences (online).
- Parvon Zainalobiddin Mirzozoda, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Tajik National University, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor (online), and others.

Professor Erbol Temirkhanovich Alimkulov emphasized the importance of improving legislation in the field of environmental protection and the preservation of wildlife.

Erlan Bairov provided a detailed analysis of the negative impact of poaching on ecosystems and proposed measures to strengthen responsibility for such crimes.

The roundtable also featured a presentation by G.K. Rasheva, Deputy Head of the Department of Customs, Finance, and Environmental Law at KazNU for Research and International Cooperation, and PhD in Philosophy. She highlighted the existing gaps in environmental protection legislation and proposed several concrete steps for improving the legal framework in this area. Specifically, she emphasized the need for stronger accountability for environmental violations and the development of effective mechanisms for coordinating the actions of government bodies and public organizations. As a solution, she proposed the introduction of stricter sanctions, improvement of natural resource legislation, and increasing the role of environmental education among the public.

In conclusion, Guldana Amangeldievna Kuanalieva stressed the importance of joint efforts at the international level to strengthen the legal framework for nature protection. Experts concluded that there is a need to increase penalties for poaching and to enhance the role of environmental education in the fight against this crime.