TSPC News

AUCA coordinates the elaboration of land degradation indicators in the Kyrgyz Republic

December 28, 2017

On 19 December 2017  at the conference-room of the Ministry of agriculture, processing industry and melioration was successfully held the final seminar of the Project on development of land degradation neutrality (LDN) indicators.

The Project was implemented thanks to support from the UNDP Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Combatting Desertification and GIZ.

Aim of the Project was to elaborated national indicators of the land degradation neutrality.      

Team of experts coordinated by TSPC AUCA have conducted deep analysis of international dataset on land degradation and it’s comparison with land degradation data available in the country.  

The working group comprised of AUCA faculty members Rahat Sabyrbekov (Economics dept) and Jeenbek Kulenbekov (dept of environmental management).

The National Focal Point on UNCCD in the Kyrgyz Republic, deputy minister of agriculture Janybek Kalkanovich Kerimaliev highly appreciated the work of the Project and expressed his hope that this work will be continued further.

In November 2017 specialists of the Project visited ayil aimaks in Moscow rayon of Chuy and Jety-Oguz rayon of Issikul obasts. During their time there specialists have studied condition of the agricultural lands and pastures. According to them, croplands and pasture in these specific rayons epitomize typical land degradation issues in the country in general.

Environmental specialists refer such lands to “meliratively poor” as they are salinized at the range from the medium to very high levels, and therefore, are not suitable for use in agricultural purposes. Croplands in Moscow rayon are regularly waterlogged by underground water, and as a result, they get swamped and salinized, and subsequently get degraded. Natural factors are exacerbated by anthropogenic impacts. Because of the lack of access to further summer pastures cattle is almost the whole year is being grazed on closer to villages pastures which are getting overgrazed. Land on such pastures does not withstand to such intensive pressure and gets degraded.  

Similar situation, as per experts, occurs with forests as well. Dwellers in mountainous regions of the country graze their cattle in the closest to their villages pasture plots which frequently are adjacent to the forests. Cattle and smaller animals feeds on growing youth trees and thus undermines the natural renewal of the forests.  

Unfortunately, such scenarios become “sustainable trend” in Kyrgyzstan, and salinization and waterlogging of arable lands occurs very “intensively”.

It is envisaged that in early 2018 the recommendations on mitigation of land degradation suggested by the working group will be discussed with the Government. Later, Government will develop the State program on agricultural development, where LDN indicators will be taken into account.  

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