Природа и история вместе: как защитить культурное наследие при создании охраняемых территорий?

Nature and History Together: How to Protect Cultural Heritage When Creating Protected Areas?

This issue was the focus of a working meeting organized by the CAMP Alatoo PF within the framework of the project "Integrated Community-Based Management of High-Value Mountain Ecosystems in Southern Kyrgyzstan for Multiple Global Environmental Benefits". This initiative is supported by UNDP-GEF. 

A hidden challenge emerges when establishing specially protected natural areas (PAs). Protection encompasses not only unique ecosystems but also historical monuments frequently found within the boundaries of designated protected zones. These can include burial mounds (kurgans), rock art (petroglyphs), mazars (sacred sites), or the remains of ancient fortresses. 

As noted by Aliya Ibraimova, the project coordinator from the CAMP Alatoo PF, experts are currently working on methodologies to determine the historical-cultural and ecological-tourist value of natural territories.  "These values must be defined as part of the feasibility study for the creation of PAs. Therefore, we requested a legal analysis from lawyers to understand where our gaps lie and what issues we need to address," she stated. 

The study helped identify the main legal conflicts, which were presented by experts Arstan Kadyrov and Damira Abdykadyрова. From a legal standpoint, when creating a protected area, historical and cultural heritage must be protected on par with rare animals and plants. At the same time, as Damira Abdykadyрова emphasized, in practice there are no clear and understandable rules on how exactly the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision and the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic should coordinate this work with each other. Interagency coordination is becoming particularly vital since, in accordance with the new Land Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, PA lands and historical-cultural lands have been consolidated into a single land category. 

The situation is further complicated by the fact that the state registry of historical-cultural heritage lacks sufficient data, and the official lists of monuments are outdated: for instance, many kurgans are missing from digital maps and lack precise GPS coordinates. Therefore, when establishing PAs, it is necessary to conduct field monitoring of historical-cultural objects within the borders of territories designated for new PAs. This ensures the availability of sufficient information for the further planning of PA activities with due regard for such objects. The information obtained will be utilized not only in developing the feasibility study but also in conducting the zoning of the PA, which will serve as the basis for determining the protection and use regimes for various zones within the protected territories. In this regard, a preliminary visual inspection of the locality at the PA design stage becomes strictly mandatory. 

As representatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic explained, a working group deploys to the site to conduct the visual inspection. During the first phase, specialists search for external signs of a monument, take photographs, and record precise GPS coordinates. Subsequently, professional archaeologists are involved, but only if something significant is actually discovered during the inspection or if infrastructural development is planned for that specific plot. 

Participants of the meeting decided to establish a working group comprising representatives from both agencies to ensure regular interaction and coordination in the process of creating PAs. This platform will allow for the discussion of emerging issues, the development of coordinated solutions, and the subsequent refinement of the proposed mechanism, ensuring its compliance with current legislation and the selection of the most appropriate form of implementation.