Apple tree
A native species and a living genetic heritage.
Almaty · a city shaped by an apple landscape
Almaty orchards
A city grew among apple trees. Its history — and its loss — can now be seen on one map.
Archive, public observation and actions that can be checked.
View the map ↓
01 / Apple country
From wild apple to city
Almaty's name is linked to groves of wild apple. Malus sieversii is among the principal ancestors of the cultivated apple.123
Slope
Altitude, water and aspect shaped the rhythm of fruit.
Knowledge
Collections and nurseries built local horticultural knowledge.
City
Orchards were infrastructure, not decoration.
02 / Landscape
Orchards were a system
Altitude, water, terraces, nurseries and the work of several generations.
1931
Trees needed protection
The city required permission for felling and care for existing trees.
1937
A pomological garden opened
Varieties were collected, tested and developed for local conditions.
1950–1960s
Orchards occupied different altitudes
Plantings and harvest periods were distributed along the foothills.
1980s
The orchard became infrastructure
Records describe a landscape of more than 2,000 hectares and 150 kilometres of terraces.
An orchard holds together through land, water, knowledge and work. Lose one part and the whole landscape changes.
03 / What must change
Put orchards back into city plans
The starting point is an inventory: what remains, what has been lost and what needs an official check. Land-use decisions and land history require primary documents.89
Changes in land designation and the history of land withdrawal need separate checking against official documents.
Working principle
An orchard remains an orchard. Tourism can support cultivation; it cannot replace it.
04 / Volunteer contribution
People saw what was slipping from view
Observers walked the foothills, marked living plantings and places that need attention. Their work became a shared map.
The map is an observation result, not a cadastre or legal assessment.
Districts
recorded lostBostandyklost 39,5%
Medeulost 21,8%
Nauryzbailost 10,6%
Signals
52 observationsConstruction
24
Waste
10
Tree loss
8
Uncategorised
6
Water pollution
2
Soil damage
2
Method
The map was created from civic observation. In 2025 participants recorded fruit plantings and territories requiring attention; results were systematised in GIS and areas calculated from mapped outlines.10
05 / People did not look away
Orchards became a public question
Residents, journalists and researchers brought orchards back into view — from individual sites to the future of the foothills.
2019Sputnik Казахстан
A new turn in the case of Almaty's plundered apple orchards11
Open source ↗2022Хабар
Felling of Almaty's apple orchards continues12
Open source ↗2022Информбюро 31
Cottages on orchard land: activists ask to stop foothill development13
Open source ↗год уточняетсяХабар
Apple of discord: unique orchards are being cut down14
Link pending2023Первый канал Евразия
Topsoil is stolen and apple orchards destroyed in Almaty15
Open source ↗2024ORDA
A dream shattered16
Open source ↗2024Astana TV
Residents ask to preserve an abandoned apple orchard17
Open source ↗2024Kazakhstan Today
Almaty residents call for orchards to be protected as a cultural landscape18
Open source ↗2024AlmaLife
Almaty apple orchards: is all lost?19
Open source ↗2024ORDA
Environmental activists try to save Almaty's apple orchards20
Open source ↗2024Informburo.kz
Bring back Aport: how orchards can help Almaty against smog21
Open source ↗2024IAPN / AIPN.KZ
Almaty orchards: what remains and how to save them22
Open source ↗2024Tengrinews
How Almaty residents fight for apple orchards23
Open source ↗2024Первый канал Евразия
Almaty Aport: how Kazakhstan's official brand survives24
Open source ↗2024Казахстанская правда
Who will stop construction pressure on Almaty's fruit orchards?25
Open source ↗2024CMN.KZ
Almaty apple orchards return to the state land fund26
Open source ↗2024brand eins
Into the future with the wild apple27
Open source ↗2024BES.media
Apple orchards in Ermensai will become part of Ile-Alatau National Park28
Open source ↗2025Публичное выступление
Mazhilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek on orchards in Remizovka29
Open source ↗источник уточняетсяTobias Asmuth
The future of the apple30
Link pendingThe selection includes all 20 media items in the source register. Media reports provide chronology and public context; legal conclusions require primary documents.
06 / What to do
Keep the orchard whole
The first decision is civic: treat orchards as a living agricultural and cultural landscape.8
Inventory
Map remaining plantings, lost orchards and land requiring review.
Planning
Secure orchard zones in plans as a living landscape, not a reserve for construction.
Legal safeguards
Check land use and decision history against official documents.
Living economy
Connect nursery, orchard, processing and sales. Tourism is a complement, not a substitute.
07 / Take part
Choose one action
Find a participant in the orchard economy or add an observation.
Open directory
ALMA Agrocooperation
Growers, nurseries, specialists, processing and sales in one searchable catalogue.31
- Orchard
- Grower
- Harvest
- Processing
- City
- Consumer
An orchard is alive while fruit can travel from tree to person.
01
Growers and farmers
10 participants: from a 17.5 ha family orchard to farms exceeding 400 ha.
02
Nurseries
Five nurseries offer fruit crops, from apple and pear to cherry.
03
Agronomists
Nineteen specialists in soils, nutrition, plant protection and diagnostics.
04
Processing
Ten businesses: juice, vinegar, purée, concentrates and other local products.
05
Markets and HoReCa
37 sales channels and two restaurants working with local products.
06
Science and education
17 institutes and laboratories: soil, water, plants, breeding and protection.
07
Communities and foundations
14 organisations and initiatives: cooperation, volunteering, education and project support.
08
Resources and support
39 organisations: irrigation, water, fertilisers, equipment, certification and finance.
Need a specific participant?
Open the directory and describe the task in ordinary language.
Field observation
ALMA Missions
A dated photograph with an approximate place helps compare a site over time.
015 minutes
Orchard exists
Record fruit trees from an accessible place.
025–7 minutes
Condition of an orchard
Photograph visible condition without expert conclusions.
037–10 minutes
What changed?
Compare a place with an earlier photograph or observation.
045–7 minutes
Traces of change
Note visible earthworks, fencing, construction or tree loss.
05Unhurried
History of place
Add a photo, map, publication or clearly labelled memory.
067–10 minutes
Check again
Return to a marked point and help see change over time.
Photo + date + approximate place
Send an observation ↗Material is reviewed manually. Only a safe public version enters the map.
Safety first
- Do not enter closed territory or cross fences.
- Do not photograph people close-up or enter conflict.
- Do not approach roads, machinery, fire, slopes or construction for a picture.
An observation records what is visible. The competent authority makes any legal conclusion.
08 / ALMA Monitor
In development
ALMA Monitor
Public observation where a photograph, place, time and source remain together.
Open ALMA Monitor →Observe, do not accuse
ALMA records what is visible, helps check material and prepares a request for verification. Legal assessment belongs only to the competent authority.
10 / What this is based on
Documents, not legends
Municipal decisions, scientific publications and agricultural reports from 1931–1986.
What the records show
Orchards were a landscape on the scale of a city.6
The archive shows its parts and provides points for comparison.1931–1986archive period
10archive sources
13facts for checking
13pages to compare
Facts
What the documents confirm
1931
Felling only with permission
Decision No. 20 prohibited unauthorised felling and uprooting of fruit and ornamental trees.7
Алматы
Almaty's name is linked to wild apple
A 1955 source explains Almaty as an apple place and connects the name with wild apple groves.1
Генофонд
Wild apple is material for breeding
Almaty thickets were described as an important source of cultivated apple and genetic diversity.1
650–1600 м
Orchards from 650 to 1,600 metres
A 1957 publication placed the orchards of Gorny Gigant across several altitudinal belts.4
+30 дней
Altitude shifted ripening by a month
At 1,500 metres, strawberries ripened about 30 days later than at 700 metres.4
25,4 тыс.
25,400 saplings per hectare
In 1961, a nursery grew 25,400 two-year apple saplings per hectare against a plan of 18,000.32
3 подвоя
Local wild forms were rootstocks
Wild apple, Chinese apple and Niedzwetzky's apple were used as rootstocks.32
1937
Pomological garden: collection and selection
Its work was the introduction, study and local breeding of fruit and berry crops.5
1800 + 500 + 770 + 365
Thousands of accessions
A 1969 booklet recorded more than 1,800 apple accessions, 500 pear varieties, 770 stone fruits and 365 berry crops.5
>36 000
More than 36,000 hybrid plants
The booklet described 14 apple varieties, three pear varieties and six strawberry varieties.5
>2000 га
More than 2,000 hectares
A 1986 publication reported over 2,000 hectares of fruit and berry plantings, half of them Almaty Aport.6
900 га / 150 км
900 hectares of slopes, 150 kilometres of terraces
It described 900 hectares of terraced slopes and more than 150 kilometres of terraces.6
1000 из 2000 га
Scale did not prevent decline
More than half the plantings were in poor condition before major reconstruction began.6
Originals
Check with your own eyes
Orchard protection
Felling permits and duties of care.
From orchards to snow
A route through the city, foothills and gorge.
The name Almaty
The name's connection with wild apple groves.
Wild apple
Origins, breeding and the shrinking of groves.
Orchards at 650–1,600 metres
Diagram of crops by altitude.
Thirty days of difference
Strawberry ripening at two elevations.
Saplings per hectare
Actual nursery output and plan.
Local rootstocks
Wild apple and Niedzwetzky's apple in the nursery.
Collections
Accessions of fruit and berry crops.
Hybrid collection
More than 36,000 plants for selection.
More than 2,000 hectares
Area of fruit and berry plantings.
150 kilometres of terraces
Terraces and planting on mountain slopes.
Decline and renewal
Orchard condition before reconstruction.
Citing
Sources
- 1
Платонов, Ю. Г. От яблоневых садов Алма-Аты до вечных снегов: краеведческая экскурсия. Алма-Ата, 67–68 (1955).
- 2
Duan, N. et al. Genome re-sequencing reveals the history of apple and supports a two-stage model for fruit enlargement. Nature Communications 8, 249 (2017).
- 3
Tegtmeier, R. et al. Malus sieversii: a historical, genetic, and conservational perspective. review article (2024).
- 4
Скрипникова, О. & Шихматов, Б. Сады колхоза «Горный гигант». Алма-Ата, 6, 8 (1957).
- 5
Помологический сад. Алма-Ата, 2, 4 (1969).
- 6
Демченко, И. М. Садоводство на горных склонах. Алма-Ата, 3, 10–12, 20–21 (1986).
- 7
Алма-Атинский городской Совет Об охране садов в гор. Алма-Ата и его районах. Советская степь 1 (18 апреля 1931).
- 8
Сайлыбаев, Е. Р. Алматинские сады. Проблемы и перспективы развития уникального культурного ландшафта. авторское исследование (2024).
- 9
Правительство Республики Казахстан О Генеральном плане города Алматы. постановление № 349 (3 мая 2023).
- 10
ALMA Публичная геоинформационная выборка: сады и территории общественного контроля. версия 2025-1 (2025).
- 11
Sputnik Казахстан Новый поворот появился в деле о разграбленных яблоневых садах Алматы. новостной материал (1 ноября 2019).
- 12
Хабар Вырубка яблоневых садов в Алматы продолжается. телевизионный репортаж (6 апреля 2022).
- 13
Информбюро 31 Коттеджи на месте яблоневых садов: общественники просят остановить застройку предгорий. телевизионный репортаж (15 ноября 2022).
- 14
Хабар Яблоко раздора: в Алматы вырубают уникальные яблоневые сады. архивная ссылка уточняется.
- 15
Первый канал Евразия Крадут чернозем и уничтожают яблоневые сады в Алматы. телевизионный репортаж (25 апреля 2023).
- 16
ORDA «Мечта» разбилась вдребезги. репортаж (13 марта 2024).
- 17
Astana TV Сохранить заброшенный яблоневый сад просят жители Алматы. новостной материал (19 марта 2024).
- 18
Kazakhstan Today Алматинцы требуют сохранить яблоневые сады как уникальный культурный ландшафт. интервью (18 сентября 2024).
- 19
AlmaLife Яблоневые сады Алматы. Не всё потеряно?. публикация (18 сентября 2024).
- 20
ORDA Экоактивисты Алматы пытаются спасти яблоневые сады. репортаж (19 сентября 2024).
- 21
Informburo.kz Вернуть апорт, или Как яблоневые сады могут спасти Алматы от смога. публикация (19 сентября 2024).
- 22
IAPN / AIPN.KZ Яблоневые сады Алматы: что от них осталось и как можно спасти. публикация (20 сентября 2024).
- 23
Tengrinews Как алматинцы борются за яблоневые сады. фоторепортаж (30 сентября 2024).
- 24
Первый канал Евразия Алматинский Апорт. Как выживает официальный казахстанский бренд?. телевизионный репортаж (6 октября 2024).
- 25
Казахстанская правда Кто остановит атаку застройщиков на фруктовые сады Алматы?. публикация (15 октября 2024).
- 26
CMN.KZ Яблоневые сады в Алматы возвращают в госфонд — управление земельных ресурсов. публикация (31 октября 2024).
- 27
Asmuth, T. Mit dem Ur-Apfel in die Zukunft. brand eins (1 декабря 2024).
- 28
BES.media Яблоневые сады в Ерменсае станут частью Иле-Алатауского нацпарка. публикация (17 декабря 2024).
- 29
Базарбек, Б. О садах в Ремизовке. публичное выступление (10 января 2025).
- 30
Asmuth, T. Die Zukunft des Apfels. точная публикация и ссылка уточняются.
- 31
ALMA ALMA Agrocooperation First Catalog. версия 1.0, 131 запись (2026).
- 32
Марков, Н. Выращивание плодовых саженцев в совхозе «Горный садовод». Алма-Ата, 4, 6 (1962).
No nostalgia
Soviet publications are evidence, not a model. Their achievements cannot be separated from forced collectivisation and the tragedies of the 1930s.
11 / Why ALMA
Record. Compare. Ask for verification.
ALMA links observation, map and source. The final conclusion remains with the competent authority.
monitor@alma.eco ↗ALMA contribution
ALMA and SDG
Civic observation, mapping, public information and cooperation.
SDG 11
Sustainable Cities and Communities
- 11.3 — participatory planning
- 11.4 — protect cultural and natural heritage
- 11.a — connect city, peri-urban and rural areas
Orchard map, archive and resident participation.
SDG 15
Life on Land
- 15.1 — conserve terrestrial ecosystems
- 15.4 — protect mountain ecosystems
- 15.5 — conserve biodiversity
- 15.9 — integrate nature into planning
Observation of orchards, foothills and landscape change.
SDG 16
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- 16.6 — accountable, transparent institutions
- 16.7 — participatory decision-making
- 16.10 — access to public information
Verifiable records, sources and safe requests for review.
SDG 17
Partnerships for the Goals
- 17.17 — cooperation across society, science, government and business
- 17.18 — quality, accessible and reliable data
Volunteers, researchers, agrocooperation and the open directory.
ALMA's project contribution to selected SDG targets. It is not certification or an official UN statement.