At 73 years old, Tynyshbay Dossymbekov is not a typical retiree. Instead of spending his days in quiet solitude, he made a choice to volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tynyshbay joined a team of experts working on the development of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, a project under the UN’s environmental protection initiative. To him, age is no barrier, and what truly matters is compassion and commitment. That's precisely what he's doing as a UN Volunteer.

Intergenerational volunteering is a unique opportunity for people of different ages and experiences to come together and lift their communities. Despite his age, what Tynyshbay brings to the table is unique—a wealth of experience and a deep passion for conserving nature.

Tynyshbay was born in the village of Bakbakty, located in Almaty’s Balkhash District, which is named after Lake Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in Asia. His professional journey began as a driver, but soon he enrolled at the Veterinary University and specialized in zoo-engineering. 

After graduation, Tynyshbay was assigned to the Bakanas Sheep Breeding State Farm in the Balkhash District. His innovative approach quickly led to his appointment as team leader of a youth livestock brigade.

"At that time, livestock farming was considered a core industry. We formed youth teams and raised a young generation under new conditions."

At 34, he became the director of the local State Farm, transforming it into a profitable operation within three years by introducing efficient leasing and subcontracting systems. In 1991, he was appointed Head of the District Department of Agriculture and Food, and just a year later, he became Akim (Governor) of Balkhash District. Over the next 16 years, he held various senior leadership positions, including Akim of Kerbulak and Koksu Districts in the Almaty Region.

On his birthday in 2015, Tynyshbay decided to retire. "People asked me to stay, but I knew it was time to make space for the younger generation," he recalls. However, retirement didn't mean stepping away from the public sphere. Former residents of the districts he once governed often came to his home seeking guidance and support, something he never turned away from. His innate sense of duty, combined with Kazakh values, made volunteering but a natural choice.

“Volunteering has always been part of Kazakh tradition. Asar, for example, is about offering sincere help to neighbours, friends, and family in times of need.”

Tynyshbay became involved in various initiatives to restore the natural ecosystems in Kazakhstan, especially in Balkhash—the region where he was born and spent most of his life. By the 2010s, Tynyshbay observed a sharp decline in livestock farming and environmental degradation in the region.

“My colleagues and I realized we could not just stand by. Kazakhstan once ranked third in the former Soviet Union in livestock production, an achievement built on a century of hard work by scientists. That legacy could not be lost.” 

Once driving through the Balkhash District, he noticed something rather drastic. During the 200-kilometre journey to the village of Kuygan, he encountered just one pheasant. He was surprised beyond comprehension, “There were no deer, no rabbits, no fish—nothing.”  

The growing concern shared by Tynyshbay and other experts was the starting point of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, part of the UNDP’s project to improve the sustainability of protected areas in desert ecosystems. This vital ecological complex, encompassing the Ili River delta and the shores of Lake Balkhash, is the only remaining intact river delta ecosystem in Central Asia. However, scientists warn of an impending ecological crisis similar to the Aral Sea disaster, as Lake Balkhash is shrinking due to unsustainable irrigation and the construction of the Kapshagay Reservoir. Once a biodiversity haven, including the now-extinct Turan tiger last seen in the 1950s, the lake's ecosystem is increasingly under threat.