rukg

Restore degraded rangelands important to local income and wildlife through improved local rangeland management plans in PA areas

What we are doing
Implementation Period
  • Implementation Period: 2019 - 2022
  • Donor organization: ПРООН в Кыргызской Республике
  • Geographical location: Токтогульский и Тогуз-Тороуском районы, Джалал-Абадская область, Кыргызская Республика.
The relevance of this project is connected with the situation that meadows of the Western Tien Shan are intensively used as pasture and agricultural lands without effective control and management in the field. In addition, poor livestock management additionally to unregulated and increasing animal growth leads to overgrazing and degradation of vulnerable pasture ecosystems. These factors, in turn, are responsible for the decline in populations of wild hooved animals (argali, ibex) and small mammals (hares, gophers and marmots), which are the main predators of the snow leopard and other hunters. The lack of such food reduces the population of these animals. The health of grassland and pasture ecosystems is important to the snow leopard and its prey, as well as soil and vegetation quality. Because of overgrazing over a long period of time, the grasslands of the Western Tien Shan are susceptible to inadequate natural regeneration, and the invasion of plant species that are unsuitable for livestock or wild ungulates. In depleted grasslands, where unsuitable plant species (used to assess degradation) are common in 20% of the grass stand, grasslands may need three to four years of recreation.

Project Background

The project included the following tasks:

1. to study the state of pastures and their use on the territory of 2 pilot PAs and 4 pilot aiyl aimaks, to assess the capacity of pastures, taking into account the feeding of wild animals and their migration corridors

To train pilot pasture committees in the implementation of new tools for pasture management

3.  To develop cooperation between the directorates of pilot PAs, leskhozes and Aiyl aimak LSGs, including pasture management committees on pasture management on the territory of PAs, leskhozes and accounting for feeding and migration of wild animals

4. Development/Improvement of pasture management plans for 2-pilot PAs and 4 pilot aiyl aimaks taking into account the results of the pasture study

5. Undertake training on the use of the e-jayit committee.

The first stage of the project work was devoted to the development of four methodologies on (1) conducting a land inventory study; (2) conducting a geo-botanical survey of pastures taking into account migration corridors and feeding areas for wildlife, including mapping (3) on economic assessment of pastures; (4) on counting the number of livestock and pasture users in aiyl aimaks and PAs, as well as counting the number of wild animals in the pasture areas of aiyl aimaks and PAs taking into account the feed consumption rates for all types of domestic and wild animals.

Project Objectives & Goals

The main goal of the project is to strengthen  ecosystem sustainability and habitat connectivity in the western Tien Shan through the regulation of land use and forest use in buffer zones and corridors. 

Project Result

Four methodologies were presented to local communities at roundtables, the total number was 12. The participants - representatives of state natural parks, local governments, pasture committees - approved the methodologies which will be used in the future for field studies.

Pasture management skills were assessed among the pasture committees to learn modern tools for the practice. The missing knowledge and skills were acquired by the representatives of the committees, LSGs, pasture users association during a series of trainings (total number of 12) held in the pilot aiyl aimaks.

The project team conducted a survey among pasture committees, where the "electronic zhaiyt committee" system is installed, about the functioning of this software and possible improvements.

Project activities also included the development of regulations on the committee for joint management of pastures located on the territory of PAs and aiyl aimaks, taking into account the migration and feeding corridors of wild animals.