University of Guilan Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences 1735-3033 24 2 2026 04 01 Role of cross-border epizootic risks in ensuring veterinary safety and sustainable livestock development in Central Asia 531 547 9636 10.22124/cjes.2026.9636 EN Maxat Berdikulov National Veterinary Reference Center, Astana, Kazakhstan James Edric Alan Webb Lleaf Pty Ltd, Eveleigh, NSW, 2015, Australia Sestager Aknazarov LLP Scientific Production Technological Center Zhalyn, Almaty, Kazakhstan Kuandyk Shynybayev LLP Scientific Production Technological Center Zhalyn, Almaty, Kazakhstan Abylay Sansyzbay LLP Scientific Production Technological Center Zhalyn, Almaty, Kazakhstan Dmitriy Taranov LLP "AnDa Company" Shymkent, Kazakhstan Zura Yessimsiitovaa LLP Scientific Production Technological Center Zhalyn, Almaty, Kazakhstan Zhanikha Lessova LLP Scientific Production Technological Center Zhalyn, Almaty, Kazakhstan Journal Article 2026 05 24 Biosecurity and productivity issues involving porous borders, weak biosurveillance, and land changes challenge Central Asia’s livestock sector. Kazakhstan, the region’s largest livestock producer and trade hub, exemplifies these. This study integrates epidemiological data from the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS), land-cover data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and national statistics to assess relationships between grazing-land change, livestock productivity, and disease. Evaluation of WAHIS reports within a 200-km region around Kazakhstan from 2004 to 2024 identify epizootic threats including; Potential under-reporting of African swine fever for farms in Kostanay, North Kazakhstan, and Pavlodar (55% of swine stock); Highly pathogenic avian influenza risk along the north-south corridor of North Kazakhstan, Akmola, Karagandy, and Almaty (55% of poultry stock) with Lake Balkash migratory sites; Potential under-reported lumpy skin disease in Batys and Aktobe regions (~20% of cattle stock) given reports from Russia’s Astrakan and Volga River basin; Potential foot-and-mouth vulnerability for ruminants between Almaty and Shymkent, complicated by transboundary practices, requiring joint biosurveillance with Kyrgyzstan. Grazing-land degradation observed by MODIS correlated with milk yield for household (r = 0.66, p = 0.005) and smallholder farms (r = 0.60, p = 0.013), but not for large enterprises (r = –0.07, p = 0.79). National calving-rate data, not available by industry level, showed a similar association (r = 0.69, p = 0.003). https://cjes.guilan.ac.ir/article_9636_6674e5f6422d5620c4993a8647b9edf5.pdf