Конференция «Жизнь в Кыргызстане»: специалисты ОФ «САМР Алатоо» рассказали о влиянии климата на пастбища

Specialists from the СAMР Alatoo РF participated in the "Life in Kyrgyzstan" conference organized by the University of Central Asia (UCA) in collaboration with several educational institutions in Germany and supported by international organizations. This event, held annually in Bishkek for the past 10 years, serves as a platform for exchanging experiences, new knowledge, and information among local and foreign experts on all aspects of life in the country.

The СAMР Alatoo РF was featured in the session "Livestock Farming in Central Asia: From Pastures to Markets." Zhyrgalbek Kozhomberdiev, the program manager for "Sustainable Land Resource Management," presented research findings on the state of pastures in the context of increasing livestock numbers and climate change. These studies were conducted within the framework of pasture management projects in southern Kyrgyzstan, with a specific focus on the Bazar-Korgon district of Jalal-Abad region.

This area is highly vulnerable to climate change, as evidenced by data showing shifts in the timing of the grazing season. This shift negatively impacts pasture health if grazing practices are not accordingly adapted. The deterioration of resources is exacerbated by the growth in livestock numbers: from 2012 to 2022, the number of sheep and goats in the Bazar-Korgon district increased by 20%, cows by 35%, and horses by 25%. During livestock migrations, conflicts arise when animals, following roadways, trespass onto crops belonging to local farmers. To mitigate and prevent such occurrences, maps indicating migration routes and resting places for livestock during their movement to summer pastures have been developed.

The impact of livestock farming on pasturelands was analyzed through the study of pasture vegetation. According to Zhyrgalbek Kozhomberdiev, annual grasses proved to be more resilient to grazing. In contrast, perennial plants are consumed by animals and do not complete their flowering cycle or produce seeds. The analysis also indicated a growing dominance of drought-resistant species among pasture plants, suggesting an increase in climate aridity. In terms of overall biomass of pasture vegetation, significant reductions have been observed in recent years. This underscores the necessity for new pasture management methods aimed at restoration and adaptation to changing climatic conditions.

The session also featured presentations from researchers at Justus Liebig University in Giessen (Germany), experts from the Kazakh-German University, and UCA. They discussed pasture management in Kazakhstan in the context of climate change, access to land resources, feeding strategies within the Kazakh pastureland system, and factors influencing the participation of small farmers from Kyrgyzstan in the milk market.