В Кыргызстане стартовал прием заявок на получение статуса OECM

The Call for Applications to Obtain OECM Status Has Launched in Kyrgyzstan

There are areas in Kyrgyzstan that are not part of national parks or nature reserves, but where local communities, organizations, or individuals carefully protect flora and fauna. In global practice, such areas are called OECMs (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures).

Unlike national parks and reserves, where the primary objective is nature conservation, OECM areas can successfully combine environmental sustainability with socio-economic needs, such as managed livestock grazing, timber harvesting, hunting, or the protection of sacred sites (mazars). At the same time, the management of these activities is structured in a way that ensures biodiversity is preserved over the long term.

Now, the efforts and contributions of Kyrgyzstan’s residents toward protecting these unique areas can be recognized on a global scale. The CAMP Alatoo PF, with support from the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Areas under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, is launching a call for applications from all regions of the country to obtain international OECM status. This constitutes official recognition by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that a specific area makes a real contribution to nature conservation, even if it does not hold official SPA (Specially Protected Area) status.

To participate, applicants must scan the QR code on the banner and complete the online application form in the Kyrgyz language.

The deadline for application submission is August 1, 2026.

The call for applications is conducted within the framework of the IKI–IUCN project "One Health in Nature Conservation: Resilient Landscapes against Zoonotic Diseases through Consolidation of Conservation Systems in Central Asia".