8 800 080 15 05
kense@plibrary.kz
The winner of "100 new personalities of Kazakhstan-2019" Asel Baymukanova is a young ecologist. Currently, Asel is working on a master's thesis related to the ecological features of the behavior of Caspian seals (Pusa caspica) during the formation of rookeries in the Kazakh part of the Caspian Sea.
Asel Baymukanova is also the leader of SDG-14 "Conservation of marine ecosystems" and an eco-Ambassador to Kazakhstan from the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural resources. She has 9 scientific publications, has repeatedly been a speaker and participant in various environmental schools, seminars, conferences.
The girl's choice of profession was not accidental – her father was an ichthyologist, zoologist, Candidate of biological sciences, and her sister became a hydrobiologist.
"My father was engaged in research of the Markakol Lenok, he often told different stories from his life and about science. He always hoped that he would be able to save not only an endangered species of fish but also people who depend on the resources of the amazing lake located in Eastern Kazakhstan. I believed that he would succeed and I wanted to work with him. The older I got, the more I realized that every ecosystem needed protection. But it can't protect itself without human help. Now my father and I are engaged in research of Caspian seals together", the young scientist says.
The girl first met the Caspian seal in 2015 on the island at the Kendirli spit.
"Until then, I had only seen seals from an icebreaker. But when you see a wild animal up close, it's a completely different experience. I got closer and closer to the seals, and they looked at me uneasily, but they didn't go away. I still remember the feelings that came over me. And at the moment when the distance from me to the seals was reduced to two meters, I saw a seal that lay motionless, entangled in fishing nets. At that moment, I realized that I would try to do everything possible for their existence in our sea", she recalls.
Asel Baymukanova works for the non-profit organization "Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology", is a specialist in environmental education, as well as an operator and video engineer. During her time at the Institute, she has created 6 films about two endemic species: 4 films about the Caspian seal and 2 films about the Markakol Lenok (uskuche). Recently, a film about collecting abandoned fishing nets and marine garbage on the Caspian Sea coast near the Tupkaragan Peninsula was released – "Sea of fishing nets and garbage".
"Seals are an indicator species, it is very sensitive to changes in the sea. And today he disappears. In the Kazakh part, there are critical habitats of seals, but now, according to our year-round research, only one place remains - in the area of the sea section of Prorva and the islands of Durneva in the Komsomolsky Gulf. The analysis of mortality showed that a large number of animals do not reach puberty and there are very few individuals of productive active age in the population. And it is now necessary to work in an enhanced mode in order to make their rescue a priority task of the five Caspian states. It is necessary to carry out interstate research. Whether the seal will live or not is decided right now. We are responsible for its existence. We must not delay and hope; we must act. If we work together, then everyone can get to know it and fall in love with its deep and sad eyes," Asel notes.