Since April 1st 2009 the project “Conserving Eden: participatory forest management in the Tien Shan region” have been underway, with a duration of three years. The project will be implemented in the Kyrgyz Republic, in collaboration with the School of Applied Sciences, Bournemouth University (Prof. Adrian Newton), UK, and supported by the Darwin Initiative (UK Government).
The main components of this multi-partner, three-year Darwin Initiative project are to strengthen national and local capacity to improve the sustainability of the management of fruit and nut forests in the Tien Shan region of Kyrgyzstan include institutional capacity building, training, research and public outreach (Kara-Alma, Kyzyl-Unkur lezhoses (forest farms) and Biosphere Reserve “Sary-Chelek”. The project is designed to support the implementation of the Convention Biological Diversity by the Kyrgyz Republic.
The forests of southern Kyrgyzstan are of global conservation importance, being dominated by walnut (Juglans regia) and containing many other fruit- and nut-bearing trees, including a high diversity of apple (Malus), pear (Pyrus), cherry and plum (Prunus) species. These forests are the source of many domesticated fruit and nut trees that are cultivated widely in temperate countries, including apple. The area is referred to as ‘Eden’ in a recent account (Deakin (2008), ‘Wildwood’), reflecting the uniquely high diversity of edible fruit and nut species, together with their extraordinary role in human history and culture, involving dispersal along the Silk Road in antiquity. The many wild tree-crop relatives found in these forests are of exceptional commercial importance, yet 11 of these tree species are now critically endangered. Only 30,000 ha of this forest remains, less than 5% of its original area. The flora comprises 5000 species, of which 180 are trees, including many local endemics.
The Kyrgyz Republic ratified the CBD in 1996, and in support of its implementation, developed a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), in which fruit-and nut-forests are identified as one of two key priorities. The NBSAP notes that these forests have declined by 50% in recent decades, as a result of unsustainable land use practices. Some 48,000 people live in the project study area, around 80% of whom live below the poverty line. Their livelihoods depend strongly on forest products such as fruits, nuts, firewood and honey. However, yields of forest products are declining rapidly because of unsustainable land use practices. Methods are therefore required to improve the sustainability of forest management. We propose that this can be achieved by introducing participatory management approaches, with the active involvement of local communities.
This has not previously been attempted in the area. For this approach to be successful, there is a need for:
(i) strengthened capacity of government institutions and NGOs to collaborate with local communities,
(ii) monitoring and adaptive management techniques developed appropriate for implementation by local communities,
(iii) strengthened capacity of academic institutions to undertake research, to identify land use practices that are sustainable. This project has been developed to address these needs, and will comprise:
(i) Institutional capacity building through a programme of collaborative research, supported by creation of a stakeholder network involving research institutes, government agencies and local community organisations, to foster information exchange and identification of best practice.
(ii) Training. Provision of training to the forestry service will improve current conservation practice on the ground.
(iii) Research. A collaborative research programme will be developed focusing on the sustainable management of fruit- and nut-forest
(iv) Outreach. Results of the research will be used to develop plans for sustainable management of fruit and nut forest; and identify implications for policy-makers at both local and national scales, to support the sustainable management of fruit and nut forests. The project will be aimed directly at implementing the ecosystem approach, by supporting the development of forest management strategies that promote conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. The integral role of humans in these ecosystems will be addressed through the development of participatory management approaches.
