Aliya Wedelich

Aliya Wedelich (Tonkobayeva) is a climate, eco-, and animal rights activist and communicator from Kazakhstan. She has been active in the environmental NGO sector since 1998. In 1999, she registered a youth environmental magazine in Karaganda, serving as its editor for three years. Aliya graduated from Karaganda State University named after E.A. Buketov in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Ecology and Ecology Education. She obtained her Master of Science degree in Transition Studies from Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, in 2014. In 2021, Aliya received her PhD from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, where she worked on her dissertation about the social history of the Virgin Lands Campaign (1954–1964) in Kazakhstan. She has over 20 years of experience in environmental projects and organizations, including EcoForum Kazakhstan, UNDP-Kazakhstan, and the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan. Aliya is a member of the Ömir ("Life" in Kazakh) animal ri