Red Book

Flora

Currently, 303 species of plants are protected by the state, since they have been included into the 1^st edition of the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. The material has been prepared for the 2^nd edition of the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan, in which 404 species of lowest and highest plants are included, i.e., in addition to the first edition there are 101new species. Only the second contains: Lycopodiophyta - 2, Polypodiophyta - 2, Bryophyta - 4, Pynophyta - 2, Magnoliophyta - 362, Algophyta - 6, fungei - 22, Lichenophyta - 4 species. (Table 1) Thus, 6% of species structures of highest vascular plants, 0,6% of the lowest plants are included in the second edition of the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan. All species included into the Red Data Book, are distributed into categories according to International Union of Environmental Protection classification:
I.  - apparently lost;
II.  - threatened;
III.  - rare species;
IV.  - reducing;
V.  - undetermined;
VI.  - restored.

Table 1

Structure of Red Data Book species of phytobiota of Kazakhstan

Taxons	Number of species	Recorded in the Red Book	Categories
			I	II	III	IV	V	VI
Equissetophyta	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bryophyta	about 500	4	-	-	4	-	-	-
Polypodiophyta	35-36	2	-	-	2	-	-	-
Lycopodiophyta	5	2	-	-	2	-	-	-
Pynophyta	26	2	-	-	2	-	-	-
Magnoliophyta	about 6000	362	3	38	248	55	2	4
Algophyta	about 2000	6	2	2	1	1	-	-
Lichenophyta	485	4	-	-	-	2	2	-
Fungei	about 5000	22	-	4	17	1	-	-

Fauna

Many species of animals, under the pressure of antropogeneous activity started reducing their number and areas of dwelling. This phenomenon is most evidently illustrated by the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan established by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1978. As of January 1, 1998, it includes representatives of 125 species (or about 15%) of vertebrates and 99 species of invertebrates, of which 85 species are insects. (graphic. 1)

Graphic 1

Number of species of vertebrates in the Red Data Book fauna of Kazakhstan

The most threatened position from mammals is occupied by some ungulate animals; mountain rams (especially Karatau, Kyzylkum and Altay sub-species) and predatory, especially representatives of the Felidae family (cheetah, karakal, barkhan cat, snow panther, Turkestan lynx, persian otter);

Among birds - bustards, predatory, especially large falcons, some water-fowls, fishes of Aral and Caspian pools, invertebrates - commercial species of butterflies and bugs subject to export for collectors.