Tamarix and Willows among Petroglyphs: New Life Appeared in Arqalan Park
The Arqalan Petroglyph Park in the Almaty Botanical Garden, in which a unique gallery of art objects with the Turkic era petroglyphs has been recreated, has started to grow its own flora. Eurasian Bank and Mastercard employees planted 60 willow and tamarisk seedlings here, plants from exactly the regions where the original petroglyphs were found.
The planting of shrubs took place within the framework of another initiative – the Priceless Planet Global Mastercard Coalition, which unites more than 150 companies around the world. By 2030, its participants plan to plant 100 million trees worldwide. Eurasian Bank set a goal to plant 5, 000 trees in Kazakhstan.
Environmental responsibility has long been one of the key values of the Bank. In addition to participating in the Priceless Planet Coalition, the Bank issues a special Eco Card, with transaction bonuses going to greening projects.
Last year, the Bank employees and customers planted 500 trees in Almaty, Astana and other Kazakhstan cities with the participation of the Alma Kala Eco-Movement, the Earth Sustainable Development Fund, and local Akimat offices. Today this “green mission” continues, and the planting in the Arqalan Petroglyph Park is another step towards sustainable development, but with a new meaning.
The Park was created by the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction and the Petroglyph Hunters NGO in order to recreate a unique ecosystem in which steppe flora and the author’s interpretation of the Turkic petroglyphs harmoniously combine. Therefore, Eurasian Bank provided financial support for the creation of the Park and is contributing to its further development.
“The Bank traditionally pays special attention to the preservation of nature and cultural heritage of Kazakhstan. A year ago, we supported the creation of the Arqalan Park and joined expeditions during which, together with volunteers from the Petroglyph Hunters Foundation, we explored and discovered new ancient rock carvings. This year we are returning here with a new mission – by planting trees, to strengthen the link between nature, history and our shared responsibility for the future,” said Lyazzat Satiyeva, CEO of Eurasian Bank.
The head of the Bank also noted that innovative technological solutions are an important part of the green agenda. Together with Mastercard, the Bank issues an Eco Card, the bonuses of which are automatically allocated for landscaping and waste recycling. There is also a convenient way to plant your own tree in Almaty. An innovative POS terminal with a lightbox has been installed in the MEGA Center shopping center, next to the Eurasian Bank Outlet. Anyone can touch the screen with any bank card and donate 500 tenge for tree planting.
“Today we are all witnessing how climate change affects the lives of every inhabitant of the planet. In accordance with the Doing well by doing good philosophy, our company supports and develops partnerships to preserve a healthy climate and environment for future generations around the world. Therefore, Mastercard is pleased to support the environmental initiatives of Eurasian Bank, a member of our Priceless Planet Coalition, which vividly demonstrate that human prosperity and global prosperity are inextricably linked,” said Sanzhar Zhamalov, CEO of Mastercard in Central Asia.
During the year, Eurasian Bank, together with its employees and customers, will continue to create green oases in different parts of the country. This has become a good tradition for the Bank. This approach helps not only to improve natural landscapes, but also to involve people in caring for nature.