Part 1
In the snowy peaks of Kyrgyzstan’s Tien-Shan mountains, a group of people hike to a remote area, checking and relocating camera traps that monitor wildlife, like the elusive snow leopard—the “ghost of the mountains.”
Formerly hunters and fishers, these locals now work as community rangers, patrolling the Baiboosun Nature Reserve. Established by villagers in collaboration with the local non-governmental organization, Central Asian Mountain Partnership (CAMP) Alatoo, this micro-reserve was established to conserve local flora and fauna. Following consultations with local communities, the reserve protects 14 000 hectares of pastures and glaciers, with strict regulations on activities such as hunting and grazing.
Since then, snow leopard and ibex populations are increasing within the reserve. Community members have embraced the new economic opportunities that this offers, from running guest houses to producing cheese and crafting felt souvenirs. Sustainable tourism and green businesses based on yurt homestays, organic products, nature trails and horse-riding have also emerged.
“If not us, who will have a heartache for these uniquely beautiful places,” asks Baatyrbek Akmatov, Director of the Baiboosun Nature Reserve. “That’s why all local residents supported this idea—to make a valuable gift to future generations.”
The established Baiboosun Nature Reserve in Kyrgyzstan is part of a multi-country flagship to restore ecosystems in mountain regions of Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Rwanda and Uganda. Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Mountain Partnership Secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Carpathian Convention, it is a large-scale, long-term ecosystem restoration initiative of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.FAO News
(To be continued)