Participatory resource management for the mountain forest areas of Kyrgyzstan
26.11.2013
The Association of Forest and Land Users of Kyrgyzstan (AFLU) held a National Forum with its members in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 22 November 2013. Grown from ten in 2010 to 110 user groups with 7 000 individuals nationwide, the association is supported by the Norwegian Forestry Group.
The National Forum, used as a platform for reporting on the progress of their work of the past three years and collaboratively deciding on directions of future work, has marked another milestone in AFLU's institutional development, the start of new phase in its activities. Since its establishment, the Association has implemented numerous activities jointly with the Kyrgyz Government and donor communities for introducing participatory management into the forestry sector. AFLU supported the government in the formulation of concepts on community and joint forest management schemes, land tenure and ownership issues and reform of the forestry sector.
The forest coverage in Kyrgyzstan is relatively small in size - 5.6 percent of the territory. Kyrgyz forests are highland forests: 90 percent of the forested areas is at altitudes ranging from 700 to 3 600 meters. Ecological and economic functions that forests provide for Kyrgyzstan are numerous and only 150 of them have been identified. The social significance of these forests is great for two million people living in or around the forest areas. Aitkul Burkhanov, head of AFLU, says that land management approaches are most effectively implemented with active community engagement. AFLU has been working actively in mobilizing local communities facilitating their dialogue with national and local level authorities and professionals. They have been working actively on raising awareness and disseminating information about the latest approaches of participatory resource management.
AFLU, a member of the Mountain Partnership (MP) since 2012, has taken an active role in the global network. Through the MP, it has linked up with the Nepal Community Forestry Group (FECOFUN) and with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on management of the Godavari Knowledge Park.
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