On 24 September 2026, the Ivanov Readings 2026 International Scientific and Practical Conference, entitled “Ecosystems of the Zhaiyk River Basin and Adjacent Territories: Current State and Conservation Strategies,” was held to commemorate the 90th anniversaries of the distinguished botanists Yesenbay Ageleuuly Ageleuov, Anatoly Zakharovich Petrenko, and Gulsheker Myrzakhankyzy Moldasheva.
The participants gathered to honour the memory of the outstanding botanists who devoted their lives to science and to discuss ways of conserving the ecosystems of the Zhaiyk River basin and adjacent territories.
The main scientific areas of the conference were:
- The scientific legacy of A. Z. Petrenko and Ye. A. Ageleuov: biodiversity and dynamics of floodplain ecosystems.
- Flora and fauna of the Northern Caspian region: taxonomic composition and rare and endemic species.
- The application of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in scientific research and in methods of teaching the natural sciences.
Scientists, lecturers, and researchers from Kazakhstan, the United States, Poland, and the Russian Federation participated in the conference. The Kazakhstani participants included representatives of L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University in Kyzylorda, and other educational and research institutions.
Members of the family of Doctor of Biological Sciences and Professor Yesenbay Ageleuuly Ageleuov also attended the conference: his son, Galym Yesenbayuly; his younger brother, Kuanysh Suyeuuly; his daughter, Sulushash Yesenbaykyzy; and his granddaughter, Akmarzhan Kuanyshkyzy.
Makhambet Secondary School named after Yesenbay Ageleuov in the Atyrau Region was represented by Kamshat Utepbergenovna Sadykova, Deputy Principal for Academic and Educational Affairs and a teacher of chemistry and biology, as well as by the schoolteachers Zhanargul Amanzhankyzy Ramazanova, Kuralai Zheksenkyzy Dosmagambetova, and Aizhamal Yerzhanovna Amangossova.
The family of Candidate of Biological Sciences Anatoly Zakharovich Petrenko was represented by his son, Anatoly Anatolyevich Petrenko, and his granddaughter, Anastasia Anatolyevna. Gulsheker Myrzakhankyzy Moldasheva’s family was represented by her grandchildren, Almira Marklenkyzy Shukurova and Shukir Rakhimov.
The online participants included Tara Scully, Professor at the George Washington University in the United States; Wei Fang, Associate Professor at Pace University in the United States; Natalia Kin, Candidate of Biological Sciences at the Institute of Steppe in the Russian Federation; and representatives of Kazimierz Wielki University in Poland—Professor Paweł Napiorkowski, Doctor of Biological Sciences, and Professor Krystian Obolewski, Doctor of Biological Sciences.
Kazakhstani higher education institutions were represented by Saltanat Zharylkasynovna Ibadullayeva, Doctor of Biological Sciences and Professor at Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University; Zhaskhaiyr Mukhengaliyevich Karagoyshin, Candidate of Biological Sciences and Associate Professor at L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University; Anatoly Raiymbek Kairatuly, a second-year doctoral student at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; as well as veteran faculty members and young researchers.
In addition, on 25 September, a field seminar entitled “The Current State of Floodplain and Lake Ecosystems in the Middle Reaches of the Zhaiyk River” will be held along the route Uralsk–Ozernoye–Brusyanoye–Uralsk.
The conference participants noted: The high significance of the biodiversity of the Northern Caspian region as a unique area that plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting sustainable development. The growing threats to the region’s biodiversity resulting from anthropogenic pressures, climate change, environmental pollution, and other factors. The need to consolidate the efforts of the scientific community, government authorities, civil society organizations, and the private sector to address biodiversity conservation challenges in the Northern Caspian region. The importance of integrating local and regional research into the broader context of global environmental challenges.