NAVIGATING BIODIVERSITY-RECREATION TRADE-OFFS IN KAZAKHSTAN’S GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE: PERSPECTIVES OF URBAN PLANNING PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

The use of green infrastructure is expanding worldwide, but its implementtation in Kazakhstan remains fragmented and vulnerable to development pressu-res. This study examines how urban planners in Kazakhstan navigate tradeoffs between biodiversity conservation and recreational use in green infrastructure development. Using an inductive qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with five planning professionals, the study finds that biodiversity is understood mainly in abstract terms and lacks measurable indicators, while recreation is defined through tangible criteria. As a result, recreation becomes the default planning priority, revealing that the main barrier to green infrastructure development in Kazakhstan is institutional rather than conceptual.