On the eve of the referendum, the Directorate of the Institute of Zoology held a discussion of the draft of the new Constitution – a document that will largely determine the country’s development strategy for decades to come. Among the many proposed changes, particular importance is given to provisions related to science, education, innovation, and environmental protection.

On February 20, 2026, a meeting of naturalists, nature enthusiasts, and scientists dedicated to the study of Kazakhstan’s biodiversity took place. Participants discussed the use of photo observations in scientific research, summarized the competition results, and outlined plans for 2026.

On February 11–12, 2026, an extended board meeting of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held under the title “Higher Education and Science: The Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.” The event was chaired by Aida Balayeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Minister of Culture and Information.

From January 2026, an Order of the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On the introduction of a ban on the use of the Central Asian tortoise, its parts and derivatives in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2040” (No. 351 of December 18, 2025) came into force.

Berdikulov Bekzhan Talgatovich, Acting Head of the Laboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology of the Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan, successfully defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Employees of the Institute of Zoology of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan took part in the “International Training Course on Aquatic Biological Identification and eDNA Data Analysis”, held in Wuhan (China) from 16 to 29 November 2025. The course was hosted by the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), one of the world’s leading centres for freshwater ecosystem research.

The Institute of Zoology took part in the jury of the annual children’s creative lapbook contest themed “Flora and Fauna of Our Home”. The aim of the contest was to develop children’s interest in the plants and animals of Kazakhstan, stimulate creativity, foster ecological culture and a responsible attitude toward nature, and encourage an active civic position.

The II International Congress of Young Scientists of Kazakhstan was held in Almaty on 11–12 December 2025. The plenary session was hosted at the “Gylym Ordasy” complex, while section meetings and master classes took place at five leading universities of the city. The forum brought together more than 1,000 young researchers, over 80 foreign scientists from 24 countries, representatives of the scientific community, academicians, deputies and heads of scientific organizations. The Congress was dedicated to the UNESCO theme “Trust, Transformation and Tomorrow: the science we need by 2050”. The Institute of Zoology was represented by Gulzhanat Tanabekova, PhD, Academic Secretary of the Institute.

In 2026, the first state nature reserve of Kazakhstan and Central Asia – Aksu-Zhabagly – will celebrate its 100th anniversary. To mark this milestone, a team of authors prepared a book dedicated to the oldest reserve of our country. The compiler and editor of the book “Aksu-Zhabagly 100 Years” is A.F. Kovshar, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, and Chief Researcher of the Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Fifty young researchers from around the world gathered at Lund University (Sweden) to take part in the course “Ecology of Animal Migration”, designed for the advanced training of PhD students and doctoral candidates.