HSE University and SAFC Launch Cooperation on Nature and Climate Projects in Kazakhstan
The Сentre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions at HSE University and the Kazakhstan-based company SAFC are planning joint work on the implementation of climate projects in Kazakhstan. Specialists from the HSE centre visited the site of the country’s first forest climate project and signed a cooperation agreement with SAFC.
The digital platform for assessing nature and climate projects, developed and maintained by the HSE Сentre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions, focuses on ARR (afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation) projects, in particular afforestation and the creation of protective forest belts on agricultural land. The first and currently only project of this kind in Kazakhstan is being implemented by SAFC.
‘We visited the area of the Kapchagay Reservoir. It was here, near the city of Qonaev, that Kazakhstan’s first forest climate project was launched this spring. We inspected the afforestation sites, the drip irrigation system, and the specialised equipment used for the mechanised planting of seedlings under local conditions,’ said Viktor Proskuryakov, Project Manager at the HSE Сentre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions.
The HSE Centre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions of the Carbon Measurement Supersites Programme was established in 2025 as part of the HSE Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The centre has developed and continues to develop a digital platform for nature and climate projects that is adapted to Russia’s natural and regulatory conditions and takes international experience into account. The centre’s experts are also engaged in analytical, advisory, and research and educational activities related to various types of nature and climate projects, as well as sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Planting of poplar, elm, apricot, and other tree species was carried out in May 2025, at a density of approximately 2,200 saplings per hectare. Over the coming years, a green area covering 1,500 hectares will be established here, consisting of around 3.5 million trees. In other words, conditions will be created for ecosystem restoration on currently unused and degraded land along the northern shore of the Kapchagay Reservoir. At present, SAFC is preparing the project documentation for registration with the Verra registry, and the forest climate project is being implemented under the VM0047 methodology.
The capabilities of the Russian digital platform for assessing nature and climate projects have attracted the interest of colleagues from Kazakhstan. The parties have signed a cooperation agreement between HSE University and SAFC LLP.
‘It is important for us to have a digital tool for evaluating climate projects. Using the Russian digital platform, we plan to carry out a pilot case to calculate the parameters of our project, with verification of the results based on actual data,’ explained Yuri Kim, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAFC.
The HSE Сentre of Digital Technologies for Nature-Based Solutions and SAFC also plan to organise joint projects in the interests of Russian companies, as well as visits by their representatives to the SAFC project site to demonstrate the implementation of climate projects and to exchange experience in agroforestry and digital solutions for nature and climate initiatives.
SAFC is engaged in forestry, mixed farming, sustainable land management, and the development of climate projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Kazakhstan. The company was founded in 2022. In 2024, together with its partners, SAFC began implementing Kazakhstan’s first forest climate project on the northern shore of the Kapchagay Reservoir.
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