The FAO project will help Kyrgyzstan to combat climate change
Bishkek – Forests and grasslands absorb greenhouse gases and therefore play a critical role in solving the problems associated with climate change. Taking this into account, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with financial support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), as well as national partners, is implementing a project in Kyrgyzstan that will help the country restore ecosystems.
In December 2023, the working group of the FAO project “Carbon Sequestration through Climate Investments in Forests and Rangelands in the Kyrgyz Republic (CS-FOR)” held meetings with residents of four pilot districts in Jalal-Abad, Naryn and Osh regions.
The adjacent Ak-Tala, Suzak, Toguz-Toro and Uzgen districts are located in climate-sensitive zones and were therefore selected for the project. Over 27 years, the average annual temperature here has increased by almost 1.5 °C.
“In accordance with international obligations, Kyrgyzstan must prevent a further increase in average air temperature by more than 1.5 °C,” said Bakytbek Yrsaliev, Deputy Director of the State Forestry Service of the Kyrgyz Republic. “Annual carbon dioxide emissions in our country reach 15 million tons. 11 million tons are consumed by forests. Therefore, in the coming years, we need to create conditions for sequestering the remaining volume of carbon dioxide.”
During meetings with residents of the pilot areas, FAO experts and Forest Service specialists spoke about the goals and objectives of the project, which provides for the creation of additional forest areas, achieving a neutral balance in pasture degradation, developing livestock breeding, as well as solving social and environmental problems of the population through the involvement of green investments.
“The project is designed until 2030 and will be implemented in three directions,” said Gulmira Urmanbetova, national coordinator of the CS-FOR project. “First of all, this is strengthening evidence-based natural resource management, through green investments to rehabilitate forests and pastures, and developing climate-sensitive value chains.”
The main outcome of the project will be the regeneration of forests. Their restoration and creation of new forest ecosystems are planned in an area of more than 6 thousand hectares.
“For this, seedlings of tien shan spruce, walnut, poplar and other endemic trees will be planted in forestry farms and on the lands of aiyl okmotu of pilot areas,” said Kanatbek Zhantaev, CS-FOR project expert on forestry.
A separate major focus of the CS-FOR project will be working with the local population to enhance and consolidate the positive environmental impact. Residents of four pilot districts will be trained in the launch and development of green startups. As part of the meetings, the first trainings on the rational use of natural resources have already taken place.
