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Kyrgyzstan

Wild and rugged beauty

Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, is blessed with spectacular landscapes, exceptional wildlife, a rich culture and a deeply generous and hospitable people. Their traditions are founded on the principles of co-existence with nature and a deep respect for the land. But those traditions are under severe pressure.

This is also a country of change and of economic extremes, where the modest successes of market reforms in the capital city Bishkek contrast starkly with the poverty in rural areas. Overexploitation of natural resources is leading to environmental degradation, threatening the fabric of Kyrgyz society.

What wildlife does Kyrgyzstan support?

Kyrgyzstan boasts a huge variety of habitats. Mountains dominate, with their glaciers, tundra, alpine meadows, spruce forests and high-altitude lakes. The lowlands feature steppe and semi-desert, as well as wetlands and the fertile, densely populated plains supporting the world’s largest intact stands of walnut trees.

Although forests cover a relatively small proportion of Kyrgyzstan, the country is home to significant tracts of globally important fruit-and-nut forest. In addition to the ancient walnut stands, these forests also harbour a wide variety of other fruit- and nut-bearing trees, including wild apple, pear, cherry, plum, pistachio and almond. Wild tulips carpet the meadows in spring. Many of these trees and flowers are the ancestors of today’s domesticated varieties and are an important storehouse of genetic diversity.

Alpine lakes are a birdwatcher’s paradise. Meadows are alive with Menzbier’s marmots. Steppe tortoises plod across the plains. Mountain pastures support ibex and dwindling numbers of Marco Polo sheep, whose spiralling horns make them a target for trophy hunters. Kyrgyzstan’s remote and inaccessible central mountains are a vital refuge for the snow leopard.

Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan’s natural resources are being used at a rate that is driving some species towards extinction. The pressure on landscapes and the species they harbour comes from a combination of excessive livestock herding, overgrazing and hunting. This overexploitation is destroying the delicate natural balance that these communities’ ancestors maintained for generations.

150-500

The number of snow leopards estimated to live in Kyrgyzstan.

94%

Proportion of the country that is at least 1,000 metres above sea level.

    150-500

    The number of snow leopards estimated to live in Kyrgyzstan.

    94%

    Proportion of the country that is at least 1,000 metres above sea level.

Our work to protect Kyrgyzstan’s biodiversity

Fauna & Flora has been working in Kyrgyzstan since 1997. Over wide-ranging conservation activities have included support for protected area management, research and monitoring, and improved measures for threatened species from snow leopards to wild tulips and fruit trees, all conducted in partnership with local communities.

The legacy of this work is clear. There is evidence that species such as ibex and snow leopard are increasing in Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve thanks to our historical work with partners to build the capacity of park rangers, improve research and monitoring, and raise awareness about conservation among local women, men and children. This was the first protected area in Kyrgyzstan to have a management plan in place, which Fauna & Flora helped to develop in close collaboration with local community members and other stakeholders.

In the south of the country, we are focusing on halting the decline in Kyrgyzstan’s precious fruit-and-nut forests, and ensuring that communities can continue to use the forest’s resources sustainably while conserving biodiversity. This has involved supporting local community-based organisations to develop sustainable income-generating activities, providing training on vocational and entrepreneurial skills, and helping to set up and fund a community association of ecotourism and a fruit and nut processing facility. Plots of fast-growing trees have also been established to satisfy community needs for firewood and construction materials in a sustainable way that reduces pressure on the forest.

In collaboration with Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve, we have also grown thousands of saplings of the endangered Niedzwetzky’s apple  and planted them out in their natural habitat. We have also donated saplings to the National Botanic Garden in Bishkek. Furthermore, together with the National Academy of Sciences, we have developed a monitoring scheme for rare and threatened tree species and trained staff from the Dashman and Sary-Chelek Reserves in carrying out this work.

This work continues today, with Fauna & Flora providing ongoing support for the conservation of Central Asia’s fruit-and-nut forests.

We are also working with local and international conservation partners to survey and protect the high-altitude pastures where wild tulips and other threatened native flora grow.

Fauna & Flora has a unique approach to working in the conservation sector in Kyrgyzstan. It does so through empowerment and capacity building of local partner organisations and stakeholders, and engagement of experts from local institutions. These are the people who know the local situation best but often lack funding and support to address many pressing issues. Together we are able to reach our programme goals and conserve the amazing wildlife of Kyrgyzstan.

Jarkyn Samanchina

Country Director, Kyrgyzstan

Fauna & Flora has a unique approach to working in the conservation sector in Kyrgyzstan. It does so through empowerment and capacity building of local partner organisations and stakeholders, and engagement of experts from local institutions. These are the people who know the local situation best but often lack funding and support to address many pressing issues. Together we are able to reach our programme goals and conserve the amazing wildlife of Kyrgyzstan.

Jarkyn Samanchina

Country Director, Kyrgyzstan

More about our work in Kyrgyzstan

Wild tulips
Tulips. © Ormon Sultangaziev / Fauna & Flora
Species

Wild tulips

Find out about Fauna & Flora's work with the neglected and threatened wild relatives of one of the world's most familiar...
Securing tulips and montane grassland in Kyrgyzstan
Tulips in Central Asia © Brett Wilson
Project

Securing tulips and montane grassland in Kyrgyzstan

Besh-Aral Nature Reserve and its surrounding meadows
Fauna & Flora and local partners are working to restore 500 hectares of degraded pastureland to protect Kyrgyzstan's wil...
Conserving fruit-and-nut forests in Central Asia
Malus niedzwetzkyana. Credit: Chris Loades / Fauna & Flora
Project

Conserving fruit-and-nut forests in Central Asia

Arstanbap-Ata, Achy, Kyzyl-Unkur, Kara-Alma, Gava, and Toskool-Ata Forest Service Units, Kyrgyzstan. Dashtijum and Childukhtaron Nature Reserves, Tajikistan
Fauna & Flora is working with local partners in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to conserve fruit-and-nut forests.