Download in Central Asia - Zoï Environment Network

Biodiversity
in Central Asia
A Visual Synthesis
Biodiversity in Central Asia:
A Visual Synthesis
based on official country information to the Convention on Biological Diversity, scientific papers and news
The publication has been supported by the Swiss Federal Office
for the Environment (FOEN).
The publication aims to contribute to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets 1 and 19 by sharing information and improving public knowledge of biodiversity values, functions, status and trends, main
threats and societal responses.
© Zoï Environment Network 2011
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any
form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holders, provided acknowledgement
of the source is made. Zoï Environment Network would appreciate receiving a copy of any material that uses this publication as
a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or
for any commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission
in written form from the copyright holders. The use of information
from this publication concerning proprietary products for advertising is not permitted.
The views expressed in this document are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect views of the partner organizations
and governments.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion
whatsoever concerning the legal status of any country, territory,
city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its
frontiers or boundaries. Mention of a commercial company or
product does not imply endorsement by the cooperating partners. We regret any errors or omissions that may unwittingly
have been made.
Concept:
Viktor Novikov, Otto Simonett
Maps and graphics:
Matthias Beilstein, Viktor Novikov
Text:
Alex Kirby
Design and layout:
Carolyne Daniel
Contributors:
Neimatullo Safarov, Tatiana Novikova, Ilia Domashev,
Asem Sadykova, Gulmira Kabanbayeva, Jakhan Annachariyeva,
Lina Valdshmit, David Duthie, Martine Rohn-Brossard,
Andreas Obrecht, Yann Demont, Geoff Hughes
Contents
08
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
50
56
Biodiversity Services and Products
70
Safeguarding Biodiversity
30
Challenges for Biodiversity
Foreword
A profusion of high mountain ranges rise from the vast flatlands of deserts and steppes in Central Asia and host
a rich variety of indigenous and endemic flora and fauna in a range of vibrant ecosystems. Arctic, Mediterranean
and Indo-Eurasian species meet and interact in the same East–West crossroads where culture and trade intersect. This hotbed of diversity is an important global treasure and one we must protect. Fortunately, Central Asian
nations participate in the main international conventions related to the issue. All Central Asian countries are
members of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands, and most are members of the Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
However, progress toward meeting the objectives of these conventions has been uneven, and the 2010 global
biodiversity targets were not achieved. Meeting the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets will require a coordinated
effort to implement the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit
Sharing. Close cooperation and coordination between relevant multilateral environment agreements and institutions will be crucial. In this way biodiversity management can benefit from increased synergies, as experience in
other areas such as chemical and waste management has shown. With this in mind, this report provides a synthesis of biodiversity information in Central Asia prepared by experts to communicate the challenges of biodiversity
protection to global and national audiences. Importantly, the information is presented primarily in a visual format
intended to help educators and decision-makers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries understand the scale and
complexities of the task ahead.
Regional biodiversity problems became apparent 50 years ago with the disappearance of tigers, and a number of
alarming trends have followed. The Aral Sea ecosystem has essentially died, and Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan
has experienced a collapse of its fisheries over the past 10 years, and is highly endangered. The teresken bush
in the Tajik Pamirs, an important food source for both wild and domestic animals, faces eradication as a result of
overgrazing and fuelwood harvesting. Overexploitation of this kind is one of five pressures on biodiversity highlighted in this report. The other four are climate change, pollution, habitat fragmentation and invasive species.
In spite of the missed targets and negative trends, there is much to celebrate – the twentieth anniversaries of
national independence of the Central Asian countries, the Rio Conventions and the Global Environment Facility
(GEF). This joint anniversary is more than symbolic. Cooperation between the GEF and Central Asian countries
has included projects covering a range of ecosystems from deserts to seas to high mountains, and interventions
from policy development to education to demonstration projects and many small improvements and innovations.
These efforts have produced instances of transboundary cooperation and the joint planning of nature reserves,
ecosystem corridors and the protection of natural areas.
Foreign support has also been important in Central Asia. For example, Switzerland has been active there for more than
15 years, providing support for water management, forestry and sustainable mountain development including
pasture management, organic agriculture and biodiversity services. A recent example of Swiss assistance is the
development of mechanisms for payments for ecosystem services. Switzerland and the Central Asian countries
are members of the same GEF group, and with their history of bilateral support, the Swiss are well positioned to
represent Central Asia in discussions with the GEF, the World Bank and other prospective donors.
Overall, there is much to look forward to when it comes to preserving biodiversity both globally and in Central Asia.
As the 2011-2020 UN Decade on Biodiversity unfolds, this volume will undoubtedly make a key contribution to
those efforts.
Bern - Montreal - Geneva
Franz Perrez
10 January 2012
Ambassador, Head of International Affairs Division,
Swiss Federal Office for the Environment
Ahmed Djoghlaf
Executive Secretary
Convention on Biological Diversity
Otto Simonett
Director
Zoi Environment Network
Indicators
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan Uzbekistan
Population growth and pressure on ecosystems
Habitat fragmentation and pollution
Climate change impacts
Over-exploitation of biodiversity
Challenges of alien invasive species and biosafety
Ecological footprint
Forest and other wooded land, area
Change in status of threatened species
Fish resources and catch: marine
Fish resources and catch: freshwater
Genetic resources of agrobiodiversity (domestic animals, plants)
Food production
Agricultural and forest areas under sustainable management
Protected areas (number, coverage): terrestrial
Protected areas (number, coverage): aquatic
Protected areas and ecological corridors: cross-border cooperation
Protected areas: management and conservation efficiency
Afforestation efforts, forest fires and diseases control
Botanical gardens, zoos, nurseries, ex-situ conservation
Policies and measures on biodiversity: planning
Policies and measures on biodiversity: implementation progress
Biodiversity monitoring, forest inventory
Sources of information: the latest country biodiversity reports to the CBD,
the latest UNECE environmental performance reviews, expert interviews.
This table was distributed at the Istanbul regional workshop on biodiversity
(17-20 October 2011, Turkey) to catalyse discussions on gaps, priorities and
lessons for biodiversity conservation.
Positive or stable trends:
increase, improvement
no negative changes
reduction of pressures
Negative trends:
Mixed trends:
growing pressures
deteriorating capacities
or effeciency
no data
Central Asia
and Global Biodiversity
Biodiversity in Central Asia
R U S S I A
K A Z A K H S T A N
Forest cover per person
Arable land per person
hectares per person
0.9
Turkmenistan
0.8
Kazakhstan
0.7
hectares per person
1.6
Kazakhstan
1.4
1.2
0.6
1.0
0.5
0.4
KYRGYZSTAN
AZR
TURKMENISTAN
UZBEKISTAN
TAJIKISTAN
I R A N
AFGHANISTAN
Kyrgyzstan
0.3
CHINA
Uzbekistan
0.2
Tajikistan
0.1
PAKISTAN
INDIA
Turkmenistan
0.8
0
Kyrgyzstan
0.6
Uzbekistan
0.4
Tajikistan
0.2
0
Source: FAOSTAT (faostat.fao.org), data for 2010
Source: FAOSTAT (faostat.fao.org), data for 2010
Gross Domestic Product
inputs by sectors
Gross National Income per person
Current U.S. dollars per capita, thousand
9
per cent
100
8
90
7
80
70
6
Agriculture
Industry
60
5
50
4
40
Kazakhstan
3
2
Uzbekistan
1
0
Kyrgyzstan
1994
1996
1998
Source: World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org/indicator)
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
Services
20
10
0
Tajikistan
1992
10
30
Turkmenistan
KAZ
TKM
UZB
TJK
KYR
Source: World Development Indicators, data for 2009
A Visual Synthesis
Population pyramids: Central Asian nations in 2010
Age group, years
75-79
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
0.25 0 0.25
0.25 0 0.25
65-69
55-59
45-49
35-39
25-29
15-19
10-14
0-4
Population, millions
0
0.5
1
0.5
0
0.5
0.5
0
0.5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/), data for 2010
Population growth in Central Asia
Population, million
35
30
Uzbekistan
25
20
Kazakhstan
15
10
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
5
Turkmenistan
0
1951
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/), data for 2010
11
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Rural population
R U S S I A
per cent of total
100
Astana
90
K A Z A K H S T A N
80
70
60
AZR
Baku
Teheran
Bishkek
Tashkent KYRGYZSTAN
UZBEKISTAN
Dushanbe
TURKMENISTAN
TAJIKISTAN
Ashgabat
I R A N
Mountain Range
AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
Desert and semi-desert
50
C H I NA
40
Land use
8.4%
68.8%
Tajikistan
Kazakhstan
22.9%
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Turkm.
6.7%
Kaz.
30
20
10
INDIA
0.1%
0.4%
48.9%
Kyrgyzstan
44%
0
Steppe
Source: World Development Indicators, data for 2010
Central Asia is a largely arid region consisting mainly of steppes, deserts and mountains, though with some more fertile parts, like the Ferghana Valley, which is shared
by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (the two other countries of the region are
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan). It stretches from the borders of China to the shores of
the Caspian Sea, and from Russia to Afghanistan. Traversed by the ancient trade routes
known as the Silk Road which linked China and Asia Minor, the region earned a reputation as a crossroads through which goods, people and ideas passed between the furthest
reaches of Asia and the whole of Europe. Central Asia was formerly under Soviet rule,
and 2011 marks the twentieth anniversary of independence of all five countries.
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have the most extensive pastures of the five, and specialize as well in the mining and extraction sectors. Uzbekistan, the most populous country,
has a variety of industries, although many of its people work in agriculture. It is among
the world’s leading countries in cotton production. The mountain states of Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan have huge potential hydropower reserves, but still have too little fossil fuel
energy for their needs. A large part of the rural population of both countries has migrated
abroad in search of work.
Despite difficult times immediately after the Soviet collapse, the Central Asian economies
have grown rapidly in the past decade, and poverty has been reduced, although growing numbers of people mean there is less land, forest and water available per head (the
region is home to more than 60 million people).
5.3%
1%
Tajikistan
27.6%
66.1%
0.1%
3.9%
65.3%
Turkmenistan
30.6%
0.8%
10.1%
51.7%
Uzbekistan
37.4%
Pastures
Arable land
Permanent crops
Other land
Source: FAOSTAT (faostat.fao.org), data for 2010
12
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
A Visual Synthesis
Central Asia possesses unique importance for the Earth’s
biodiversity. It is in the heart of the Eurasian landmass, it
contains a very wide variety of landscapes and climates,
and the ecosystems and different species it harbours are
immensely varied. Many of them are of global as well as
regional importance. Both the historical record of impacts
on its ecosystems and current trends in the changes
affecting them today show that Central Asia’s water
ecosystems and those affected by agriculture, together
with forests, are the features most vulnerable to a mix of
human influences.
Some of the most important of these are climate change,
invasive species, the degradation of habitats, over-use
of resources, and pollution. Many of the most harmful of
the human impacts on Central Asia occurred during the
decades of Soviet rule: one example is the treatment of the
Aral Sea which straddles the border between Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea basin was designated by
Moscow for growing cotton and now suffers the effects
of massive loss of water caused by ill-judged irrigation
projects, saturation by pesticide overload, high salinity
levels and severe problems for human health.
There has been a direct impact on many of Central
Asia’s most distinctive species. The snow leopard is now
extremely rare throughout most of its range. The last
tigers in the region are thought to have been killed in the
1950s. The Caspian’s sturgeons and seals have been
severely over-exploited and the saiga antelope is critically
endangered.
Relative importance of impacts on ecosystems and trends
Habitat
Climate Invasive
Pollution Overuse
change
change species
Evergreen forests
Wild fruit and nut forests
Desert forests
Tugai and riparian forests
Deserts and semi-deserts
Steppes
High mountains (>2500 m)
Rivers, lakes, reservoirs
Aral and Caspian Seas
Agroecosystems
Historical impacts since the 1950s:
High
Moderate
Low
Current and ongoing trends:
Increasing
impact
Continuing
impact
Decreasing
impact
Sources of information: the latest country biodiversity reports to the CBD, the latest UNECE environmental performance reviews and expert interviews. This table was distributed at the Istanbul regional
workshop on biodiversity (17-20 October 2011, Turkey) to catalyse discussions on gaps and priorities
for biodiversity conservation. The regional situation may differ from country level. The authors hope
that in the new generation of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans countries will report
their specific situations in similar fashion.
13
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Global Living Planet Index
1970 = 1
1.6
Ecological Footprint
Number of Earths
2
Global hectares per person
8
United
States of
America
1.4
1.5
1.2
1.0
← Biocapacity
7
1
0.8
Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity
0.6
0.5
0.4
6
0.2
0
Switzerland
1970
1980
1990
0
2000 2007
Source: WWF Living Planet Report 2010
1970
1980
1990
2000 2007
Source: Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010
The Living Planet Index assesses the state of biological diversity by measuring trends in global populations of vertebrates.
The Index was developed by the conservation group WWF
with the UN Environment Programme’s World Conservation
Monitoring Centre: WWF is now working with the Zoological
Society of London. Between 1970 and 2007 the index fell
by 28%, suggesting to scientists that humans are degrading
ecosystems faster than ever before.
The ecological footprint measures human demands on planetary ecosystems. It represents how much biologically productive
land and sea is needed to supply human consumption and to
cope with the resulting waste. So it is possible to estimate how
much of the Earth is needed to support the entire human population at a particular lifestyle. In 2007 the footprint was estimated
at 1.5 Earths, meaning humans were consuming resources 1.5
times faster than the planet could renew them.
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have the highest ecological
footprints in Central Asia, more than the world average, mainly
due to their high carbon footprints (greenhouse gas emissions). Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have the lowest footprints.
Of all the Central Asian states, only Kyrgyzstan’s footprint lies
within the country’s biological capacity.
5
Kazakhstan
Russian
Federation
Turkmenistan
4
Nepal
Brazil
3
WORLD
China
2
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
India
1
0
Carbon Footprint
Grazing Land
Fishing Grounds
Cropland
Forest Land
Built-up Land
Source: Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010, data for 2007
14
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
Biocapacity:
biologically
productive land
and productivity
A Visual Synthesis
s
a
Omskk
5
Petropavlovsk
o
n
Kostanay
Kokshetau
o
Lake Uvs
sh
Irty
Ural
a
z
k
C a
Makhachkalaa
u
Nukus
Turkmenbashi
a
2
or
Gorgan
r
a
Mary
Bojnurd
Tehran
I
Turkmenabat
n
Tejen
Sari
A l
b o
r z
Ashgabat
b
10
mu
Da
rya
Mashad
12
Karshi
Almaty
Bishkek
h
Ysik-Kol
Tashkent
a
Mazar-e Sharif
Afghanistan
Herat
h
s
k u
u
n d
H i
Kabul
a
n
Aksu
Korla
im
Tar
T a k l a m a k a n
C h i n a
P a m i r 15
Hotan
Korug
P
u
Kunduz
a
mo
Qie
Kashgar
Dushanbe T a j i k i s t a n
p
Qurghonteppa
h
Turp
i
T
16
Termiz
S
K y r g y z s t a n 18 e n
14
Shihezi Urumqi
Ghulja
19
Jalalabad
Kokand
Osh
Kujand
rghana
Ferghana
Jizakh
S
Samarkand
A
3
17
e
Shymkent
am
Karamay
Taldykorgan
g
ga
Ili
Chu
13
Bukhara
K a r a k u m
Ka
4 Can raku
al m
20
LLake Alakol
11
U z b e k i s t a n
Turkmenistan
k
Balkanabat
n
Lake Balkhash
K y z y l k u m
Urganch
Dashoguz
a
Rasht
Qom
111
a
Altay
22
Lake Zaysan
Balkhash
9
Kyzylorda
11
S e
Baku
Ba
aku
t
a
ary
rD
Sy
a n
s p i
AZR
Baikonur
Eastern
Arall Sea
Western
Aral Sea
s
Sar
ysu
Northern
e
Aral Sea
S
Aktau
h
Zhezkazgan
an
j
Astrakhan
a
8
7
Yarka
nd
K
Atyrau
23
21
Karaganda
n
2
A l t a i
24
Semey
Temirtau
Tengiz Lake
sey
Yeni
Pavlodar
6
Astana
Aktobe
Barnaul
n
Ob
7
5
Orenburg
Oral
1
i
Magnitogorsk
Volga
ra
Saratov
s
Ish
im
Samara
u
Tob
ol
R
Novosibirsk
N
Chelyabinsk
Ufa
K
ar
ak
or
um
Pakistan
Gilgit
Peshawar
S
Srinagar
I n d i a
Key ecosystem communities
1
Pontic steppe
9
Central Asian northern desert
17 Tian Shan montane conifer forests
2
Caspian lowland desert
10
Central Asian southern desert
18 Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows
3
Kopet Dag semi-desert
11 Central Asian riparian woodlands
19 Tian Shan foothill arid steppe
4
Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe
12
Badghyz and Karabil semi-desert
20 Emin Valley steppe
5
Kazakh forest steppe
13
Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe
21 Altai steppe and semi-desert
6
Kazakh steppe
14
Gissaro-Alai open woodlands
22 Junggar Basin semi-desert
7
Kazakh upland
15
Pamir alpine desert and tundra
23 Altai alpine meadow and tundra
8
Kazakh semi-desert
16
Rock and Ice
24 Altai montane forest and forest steppe
Source: World Wildlife Fund: Ecoregions of the World (→ www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/item1267.html)
15
Biodiversity in Central Asia
The Aichi Biodiversity Targets
The world largely failed to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target to
halt the decline of biodiversity set 10 years ago. So a revised
and updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including the Aichi
Biodiversity Targets, to run from 2011 to 2020, was adopted
at the 10th conference of the parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity at its meeting in Japan, in October 2010.
They represent a new approach, including tackling the drivers
of change. Among their provisions, they require signatories
to address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss “by
Strategic Goal A
Address the underlying
causes of biodiversity
loss by mainstreaming
biodiversity across
government and society
mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society”, to reduce direct pressures on biodiversity and promote
sustainable use. They seek to improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic
diversity, and to enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity
and ecosystem services. The Central Asian nations are determined to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and a joint
approach and synergies with socio-economic development
priorities are important for success.
1. People are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and
use it sustainably.
2. Biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction
strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting,
as appropriate, and reporting systems.
3. Incentives, including subsidies,harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order
to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use
of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other
relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio economic conditions.
4. Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps to achieve or have
implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption and have kept the impacts of use
of natural resources well within safe ecological limits.
Strategic Goal B
Reduce the direct
pressures on biodiversity
and promote
sustainable use
5. The rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought
close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.
6. All fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably, legally
and applying ecosystem based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery plans and measures
are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts on threatened
species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species and ecosystems are
within safe ecological limits.
7. Areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation
of biodiversity.
8. Pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to
ecosystem function and biodiversity.
9. Invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or
eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent their introduction
and establishment.
10. By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable ecosystems
impacted by climate change or ocean acidification are minimized, so as to maintain their integrity
and functioning.
16
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
A Visual Synthesis
Strategic Goal C
Improve the status of
biodiversity by
safeguarding ecosystems,
species and genetic
diversity
11. At least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas,
especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved
through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems
of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into
the wider landscape and seascapes.
12. The extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status,
particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.
13. The genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives,
including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, is maintained,
and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion
and safeguarding their genetic diversity.
Strategic Goal D
14. Ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute
to health, livelihoods and wellbeing, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of
women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.
Enhance the benefits to all
from biodiversity and
ecosystem services.
15. Ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced,
through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded
ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation
and to combating desertification.
16. By 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing
of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is in force and operational, consistent with national legislation.
Strategic Goal E
Enhance implementation
through participatory
planning, knowledge
management and
capacity building
17. By 2015 each Party has developed, adopted as a policy instrument, and has commenced
implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan.
18. The traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities relevant for
the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their customary use of biological resources,
are respected, subject to national legislation and relevant international obligations, and fully integrated
and reflected in the implementation of the Convention with the full and effective participation
of indigenous and local communities, at all relevant levels.
19. Knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values, functioning,
status and trends, and the consequences of its loss, are improved, widely shared and transferred,
and applied.
20. The mobilization of financial resources for effectively implementing the Strategic Plan 2011- 2020
from all sources and in accordance with the consolidated and agreed process in the
Strategy for Resource Mobilization should increase substantially from the current levels.
Target 20 will be subject to changes contingent to resources needs assessments to be developed and reported by Parties.
17
Biodiversity in Central Asia
International and Regional Biodiversity-related Agreements
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an
Convention oninternational legally binding treaty, aims to conserve
biodiversity, to ensure that it is used sustainably, and
Biological Diversity
to see that the benefits derived from genetic resources
are shared fairly. Parties to the convention number 193
Convention on
countries: they include all five nations of Central Asia.
Biological Diversity
It was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio
de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on
29 December 1993. The convention recognizes that
conserving biological diversity is “a common concern
of humankind” and is integral to development. The
agreement covers all ecosystems, species and genetic
resources. It links traditional conservation efforts to
the economic goal of using biodiversity sustainably.
The convention insists that, where there is a threat of
significant reduction or loss of biodiversity, lack of full
scientific certainty can never be a reason for postponing
action to avoid or minimize the threat. The convention
encourages countries to develop national strategies for
sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and
to report about progress. All Central Asian nations are
about to update their national biodiversity strategies
and action plans in the light of lessons learnt and of the
Aichi Targets.
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an interConvention onThe
national agreement intended to supplement the
Biological Diversity
Convention on Biological Diversity. It entered into
human health. It makes clear that products from new
technologies must be based on the precautionary
principle and allows nations to balance public health
against economic benefits. It also requires exporters
to label shipments which contain genetically-altered
commodities such as agricultural crops. Central
Asian nations are currently developing their national
biosafety frameworks and clearing house mechanisms
for comprehensive legal and instrumental control of
LMOs.
Cartagena Protocol
Nagoya Protocol
18
force on 11 September 2003 and has more than 150
parties (countries), including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The protocol aims to
ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living
modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern
biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biodiversity, taking into account as well possible risks to
Convention onThe Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources
and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising
Biological Diversity
from their Utilization (ABS) is an international agreement which forms part of the Convention on Biological
Diversity. It was adopted by the tenth Conference of
the Parties to the CBD in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010. The
protocol aims to share the benefits arising from the
use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way,
including by appropriate access to the resources and
technology transfer. It seeks to do this by taking into
account all rights over those resources and technologies, and by appropriate funding, contributing to the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. From
the five Central Asian states, so far it has been signed
only by the Tajik Foreign Minister, on 20 September
2011 in New York.
The Ramsar Convention (the Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat)
is an international treaty aimed at conserving wetlands
and using them sustainably, by slowing encroachment
on them and promoting recognition of their ecological
importance. It takes its name from the Iranian city on
the southern Caspian Sea where it was adopted on 2
February 1971, coming into force on 21 December 1975.
The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental
treaty which addresses the needs of a particular type of
ecosystem. The list of wetlands of international importance currently includes around 2,000 sites. Its broad
definition of wetlands includes lakes and rivers, swamps
and marshes, wet grasslands and peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and coral reefs,
and human-made sites such as reservoirs, and salt pans.
The Convention has 160 parties (countries), including all
the nations of Central Asia.
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
A Visual Synthesis
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species of Wild Animals (the Bonn Convention or
CMS) aims to conserve the world’s migratory species
on land, sea and in the air. The convention was signed
in 1979 in Bonn and entered into force in 1983, and
unites116 parties (countries), including Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. CMS parties
try to provide strict protection to the 176 species (as
of November 2011) threatened with extinction which
are listed in the Convention’s Appendix I, conserving or restoring the places where they live, reducing
obstacles to migration and controlling other threats to
them. Species which need or would significantly benefit
from international co-operation are listed in Appendix
II. The Convention encourages states where these
species live to conclude regional agreements, which
may be legally binding or less formal. Several existing agreements include ones which aim to conserve
marine mammals, and birds which migrate between
Africa, Asia and Europe. There are also memoranda of
understanding on the protection of the Bukhara deer
and the saiga.
CITES is the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It aims to
ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals
and plants does not threaten their survival. Parties to the
convention number 175 countries: they include Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The convention entered into
force on 1 July 1975. Species protected by CITES against
over-exploitation by international trade number about 5,000
animals and 28,000 plants. Those listed on the convention’s
Appendix I are the most endangered and are threatened
with extinction: international trade in them is banned except
for certain non-commercial purposes, such as scientific
research. Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction now but which may become
so unless trade is closely controlled, while Appendix III lists
species included at the request of a country that already
regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal
exploitation. Central Asia’s species listed by CITES include
snow leopard, brown bear and saiga antelope.
The World Heritage Convention Concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
was adopted by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 16
November 1972. UNESCO has 193 member states,
including all the nations of Central Asia. Currently
UNESCO maintains a list of 936 World Heritage Sites,
places such as forests, mountains, lakes, deserts,
buildings and cities which it has identified as being
of special cultural or natural significance. Kazakhstan
has three sites, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan one each,
Turkmenistan three and Uzbekistan four. Many
more country sites are listed as tentative pending
endorsement.
The Framework Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment of
the Caspian Sea (the Tehran Convention)
was signed on 4 November 2003 in Tehran.
The five Caspian countries, including
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are members. Its objective
is to protect the Caspian Sea environment from pollution
and to promote the protection, restoration and rational
use of the biological resources of the Sea. The protocol
concerning regional preparedness, response and cooperation in oil pollution incidents was signed in August 2011 and
three other protocols are being discussed: on land-based
sources of pollution, on transboundary environmental
impact assessment, and on biodiversity protection.
The Framework Convention on Environ­
mental Protection and Sustainable
Development in Central Asia was adopted
in November 2006. Aiming to strengthen
regional environmental cooperation, it has
five priorities: air pollution, water pollution,
land degradation, waste management and
mountain ecosystem degradation. Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have signed
the convention. Another important regional
process is the Aral Sea Basin Programme of
the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) which
addresses environmental and socio-economic problems and
biodiversity-related projects in the Aral Sea basin.
CMS
19
Biodiversity in Central Asia
R
U
S
S
I
A
Chelyabinsk
Elevation in metres
Omsk
Petropavlovsk
Ob
Saratov
Semipalatinsk
Saryarka
Volg
a
Ura l
Aktobe
h
s
Astana
Uralsk
Karaganda
K
A
Z
A
K
H
S
T
A
Lake Zaysan
N
Atyrau
ry s
u
Lake Balkhash
Sa
Aral Sea
S
yr
Aktau
Baku
Da
ry a
Shihezi
Taldykorgan
Kyzylorda
Yining
Tamgaly Petroglyphs
Ch
Mausoleum of Khoja
Almaty
Ahmed Yasawi
u
Caspian
Sea
Tacheng
Lake Alakol
Astrakhan
AZR
2000
1000
500
200
100
I rt y
Pavlodar
Orenburg
Makhachkala
Barnaul
Ishi
m
Samara
Ufa
Turkestan
UZBEKISTAN
Karabogazgol
Turkmenbashi
Dashoguz
Nukus
Aydar Lake
Ysyk-Kol
Bishkek
KYRGYZSTAN i
Shymkent
Urganch
TURKMENISTAN
Taraz
Tashkent
Khujand
Kokand
T
Osh
Fergana
e
S
n
h
a
n
Aksu
C H I N A
Protected areas in Kazakhstan
Protected areas
UNESCO natural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO natural world heritage
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of international
importance especially as waterfowl habitat)
UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO cultural world heritage
Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia, contains a variety of habitats. Arid lowlands with steppes, semi-deserts, and
deserts comprise more than 80% of the land area. Mountains
occupy another 10% of the territory. Thousands of small lakes,
rivers, Lake Balkhash, the Caspian and Aral Seas further add
to the diversity of ecosystems. Forests occupy only 4.6% of the
total land area, and artificial forest plantations make up 10%
20
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
of all forests. The protected areas of Kazakhstan have nearly
doubled in size and coverage over the last decade and now
cover 8.6% of the country. Kazakh strategy for protected areas
system expansion calls for a further increase of strict nature
reserves and national parks. The current system includes: ten
strict nature reserves (“zapovedniks”), twelve national parks,
more than fifty species management areas, nine Ramsar
A Visual Synthesis
Flora diversity
Flora species density
in Kazakhstan
Number of species, thousand
Vascular plants
Number of species per 10000 km
in Kazakhstan
6
Red-listed
5
4
2
Vascular plants
400
300
400
150
100
1
Endemics
0
Source: Kazakhstan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
50
0
Source: Kazakhstan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
sites, several other protected landscapes, buffer zones around
strict nature reserves and parks, sustainable nature use areas
(“reservates”) and nature monuments.
Large mammals in Kazakhstan have declined almost everywhere, mainly because of habitat loss. Some species are
hunted - such as wolf and wild goat. Threatened and endangered mammals include the Bukhara deer, wild ass, goitered
gazelle, desman, Central Asian otter and Menzbier’s marmot.
More positively, the saiga antelope living in the southern steppes
and semi-deserts recovered from near-extinction. Among 12
amphibians is the unique Semirechye salamander. Rare mountain species are the endangered snow leopard, Tien-Shan bear,
wild sheep and vultures. Wetlands host greater flamingoes and
relict gulls. The Caspian Sea basin holds 90% of the world’s
sturgeons and the endemic Caspian seals. With extensive
governmental and international support, the level of the northern Aral Sea has stabilized and fisheries slightly recovered.
Disclaimer: the map and graph of protected areas show the entire protected
area network and its evolution, including buffer zones and protected territories/
water areas both with and without a legal entity.
Invertebrates
over 50 000
10 000
500
200
2
in Kazakhstan
Number of species
350
250
3
Fauna diversity
Red-listed
300
200
100
0
Birds Mammals Reptiles
Fish Amphibians
Source: Kazakhstan’s Fourth National Report for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
Protected areas
in Kazakhstan
Protected areas in 2010
Area, thousand hectares
per cent of total land area
25 000
20 000
other
national parks
nature reserves
15 000
Forest cover in 2010
10 000
per cent of total land area
5 000
0
1992
2000
2010
21
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Zhangatas
K A Z A K H S T A N
Qaratau
Esik
Chu
Tokmok
Bishkek
Kyzyl Adyr
T
Almaliq
Kairakkum Res.
Khujand
Bekabad
Isfara
Batken
Ferghana
Khaydarkan
Isfana
Jalal-Abad
Andijan
At-Bashy
Chatyr-Kol
K
Sulaiman-Too
Osh
Jangy-Nookat
Kyzyt-Kyya
a i
A l yl-Suu
Kyz
Gulcho
R
a
n
g
T
a
k
s
h
a
o
l
a
n
a
h
S
n
Naryn
Baetov
Kochkor-Ata
a
Dary
Ferghana Valley
Qoqand Marghilan
Syr
Gulistan
4000
3000
2000
1000
500
Aqsu
o
an
Aqsu
Wushi
Bachu
e
r
Kashga
Wuqia
Sary-Tash
Kashgar
C
Daroot-Korgon
H
T a k l a m a k a n
I
N
A
Garm
Yark
an
d
Istaravshan
Namangan
Kyzyt-Suu
Bokonbaev
e
i
Naryn
Tash-Komur
Angren
Balykchy Y s y k - K o l
Song-Kol
Toktogul Reservoir
Kara-Kol
Chirchiq
Tup
Karakol
Cholpon-Ata
K Y R G Y Z S T A N
Toktogul
Tashkent
UZBEKISTAN
Kemin
Kochkor
Shymkent
Elevation in metres
Almaty
To
sh
k
Tole Bi
Shu
Tala
s
Karakul
T A J I K I S T A N
Dushanbe
Kaiaikhum
Protected
Pa
Vahdat areas in Kyrgyzstan
nj
Nurek
Protected areas
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of international
importance especially as waterfowl habitat)
Biospheric territories
Murgab
UNESCO natural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO natural world heritage
UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO cultural world heritage
Kyrgyzstan is dominated by the mountains of the Tien Shan
and Alai, important in providing fresh water to other Central
Asian states and the western part of China. Mountains occupy
over 90% of the territory, sheltering a unique and varied range
of ecosystems. Local scientists distinguish more than 20 different ecosystems in Kyrgyzstan. Many have been affected by
22
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
overgrazing and deforestation, and the Kyrgyz mountain
forests have significantly declined in the 20th century, threatening many species with extinction and increasing risk of erosion
and disasters. Forests currently cover about 4.5% of the land
area of Kyrgyzstan. Spruce, juniper and fruit-and-nut forests
are the main types of national forests.
A Visual Synthesis
Flora diversity
Flora species density
in Kyrgyzstan
Number of species, thousand
Vascular plants
Number of species per 10000 km
in Kyrgyzstan
in Kyrgyzstan
2
Vascular plants
400
6
5
4
Fauna diversity
Red-listed
500
300
400
200
150
2
100
1
Endemics
0
Source: Kyrgyzstan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
50
0
Source: Kyrgyzstan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
The existing network of protected areas in Kyrgyzstan includes
ten strict nature reserves, nine national parks, more than forty
species management areas and numerous nature monuments,
covering 6.3% of the land area. In 2003 Kyrgyzstan assigned the
special status of “biosphere territory” to the entire Issyk-Kul province in the eastern part of the country. If this territory is added,
the ecosystems under protection would cover one quarter of the
country. Since independence, many protected areas have been
operating on reduced budgets, staffing and equipment. There
has been some improvement in recent years to involve local
communities in forest and pasture management and advance
species monitoring and conservation in international projects.
Many species of animals like the goitered gazelle, great bustard
and imperial eagle are no longer found. Critically endangered
are wild pomegranates and several tulip varieties including the
glitter tulip (Tulipa nitida), Ostrovskiy tulip (T. ostrowskiana),
pink tulip (T. rosea). Rare species like the grey monitor lizard,
marbled polecat, snow leopard and brown bear remain in an
extremely dangerous situation.
Invertebrates
over 10 000
10 000
350
250
3
Number of species
Red-listed
300
200
100
0
Birds Mammals Reptiles
Fish Amphibians
Source: Kyrgyzstan’s Fourth National Report for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
Protected areas
in Kyrgyzstan
Protected areas in 2010
per cent of total land area
Area, thousand hectares
1 400
1 200
other
national parks
nature reserves
1 000
800
Including the Issyk-Kul
biosphere territory
Forest cover in 2010
600
per cent of total land area
400
200
0
1992
2000
2010
The graph does not include the Issyk-Kul biosphere territory.
23
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Chirchiq
Saryaghash
Parkent
Abay
Tashkent
Angren
Shardara
Shardara
Reservoir
Aydar Lake
Zhetisay
U Z B E K I S T A N
Panjakent
Aini
Kyzyl-Kyya
Isfana
Khudgiv
T
Garm
A
Jirgatal
J
I
K
Tavildara
Qala-i Khumb
Vahdat
Nurek
S
T
A
Vomar
nt
Gu
Korug
Murga
Murgab
Alichur
Langar
Taloqan
Khanabad
b
Lake Sarez
B
Feyzabad
A F G H A N I S T A N
N
Savnob
j
Pan
Emam
Shaheb
Protected areas in Tajikistan
Taxkorgan
Shaymak
Langar
Khandut
P A K I S T A N
Drasan
Pasu
Gakuch
Protected areas
UNESCO natural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO natural world heritage
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of international
importance especially as waterfowl habitat)
UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tajikistan is the smallest country of Central Asia, dominated
by the Pamir, Gissar and Alai mountains, with 93% of its land
considered mountainous and over half above 3 000 m. It boasts
a wealth of biodiversity and a broad range of habitats, reflected
in high species diversity and local flora endemism. Tajikistan’s
ecosystems include nut, juniper, and broadleaf forests, alpine
meadows and grasslands and high-mountain deserts.
24
I
Vanj
Kulob
Panj
a
Termiz Shahr-i Tuz
Am
u D Ayvaj
ar
y
C H I N A
Kara Kul
Kara Kul
Sultonobod
Sherobod
Kashgar
Daroot-Korgon
Rogun
Qurghonteppa
Wuqia
Sary-Tash
nj
Vaks
h
Qumqorgon
Ulugqat
K Y R G Y Z S T A N
Pa
Shorchi
4000
3000
2000
1000
500
Jangy-Nookat
u
Aks
Denov
Tursunzoda
Elevation in metres
Gulcho
Fergana
Khaydarkan
Varzob
Dushanbe
Jalal-Abad
Ozgon
Osh
Isfara
Pastigov
Takfon
Shahrisabz
Boysun
Khujand
Bazar-Korgon
Uchqorgon
Andijan
Konibodom
Istaravshan
Samarkand Sarazm
Zarafshon
Kokand
Shaydon
Bekabad
Jizzax
Urgut
Olmaliq
Sirdaryo
Gulistan
Dostlik
Kosonsoy
Namangan
Darya
Syr
art
an
g
K A Z A K H S T A N
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
The protected area system includes four strict nature reserves,
one national park (the Tajik National Park) covering nearly
half of the Tajik Pamirs, Shirkent natural-historical park, five
Ramsar sites, and more than a dozen species management
areas. Overall, protected areas occupy 22% of the territory the highest percentage in Central Asia. They cover almost all
representative ecosystems, although many protected areas
A Visual Synthesis
Flora diversity
Flora species density
in Tajikistan
Number of species, thousand
Vascular plants
Number of species per 10000 km
in Tajikistan
Fauna diversity
in Tajikistan
2
Vascular plants
400
6
350
5
Red-listed
4
300
Number of species
10 000
500
400
Red-listed
250
3
200
150
2
100
1
Endemics
0
Source: Tajikistan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
Invertebrates
over 12 000
300
200
100
50
0
Source: Tajikistan’s Fourth National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
0
Birds Mammals Reptiles
Fish Amphibians
Source: Tajikistan’s Fourth National Report for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
Protected areas
are too small for effective protection and lack management
plans, equipment and adequate budgets. Several protected
areas were negatively affected by the civil war in the 1990s.
Forest resources are slender, covering only about 3% of
Tajikistan. Juniper forests make up nearly half of national
forests and play a crucial role in erosion control and water
regulation. Walnut forests mixed with wild fruit trees as well
as pistachio and almond forests occur in central and southern
Tajikistan.
The existing Red List of Tajikistan dates back to the Soviet
era (1988), although the new Red List is under preparation.
Almost half of all mammals and reptiles are included in the
Red List. The status of the leopard and striped hyena is
doubtful. Threatened species include the goitered gazelle,
grey monitor, snow leopard, brown bear, argali (Marco Polo
sheep) and markhor goat.
in Tajikistan
Protected areas in 2010
Area, thousand hectares
per cent of total land area
3 500
3 000
other
national parks
nature reserves
2 500
2 000
Forest cover in 2010
1 500
per cent of total land area
1 000
500
0
1992
2000
2010
25
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Fetisovo
Elevation in metres
Chimboy
Kunya-Urgench
Mangit
Sarygamysh Boldumsaz
Lake
Dashoguz
Urganch
Karabogazgol
Xiva
Bereket
K
Gonbad-e Kavus
p
e
Nisa
t
Bojnurd
R
a
Sabzevar
A
N
K a v i r
Protected areas in Turkmenistan
Am
Ashgabat
D
g
Neyshabur
Torbat-e
Heydariyeh
Shahrisabz
Turkmenabat
Merv
Tejen
Kaka
Mary
Yoloten
Mashad Sarakhs
uD
Karaku
m Canal
Torbat-e Jam
Tayyebad
Ghurian
Dushanbe
Shorchi
Kerkichi
Sherobod
Qurghonteppa
Balkh
Sar-e Pol
Tagtabazar
Hari Rud
Mazar-e Sharif
Meymaneh
A
Serhetabad
Qaleh-ye Now
Herat
Panjkent
Qarshi
ary
a
F G H A N I S T A N
Chaghcharan
Protected areas
UNESCO natural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO natural world heritage
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of international
importance especially as waterfowl habitat)
UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO cultural world heritage
Most of Turkmenistan (80%) consists of sandy desert, although
in the south the mountains of Kopet Dag and Kugitang lie along
the Iranian, Afghan and Uzbek borders. Turkmenistan’s deserts
are dominated by xerophytic shrubs and salt-tolerant species.
Other ecosystems are riparian wetlands, mountain forests and
the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan has many close relatives of
domestic food plants, including wild pomegranate, grape, fig,
apple, pear, cherries, plum, almond and melon.
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
Khujand
Termiz
Sarahs
Tejen
D a s h t - e
o
D e s
Great
Turkme
n Collecto
Baharly
r
Quchan
Emamrud
I
Zara
fs h a
n
Bukhara
Samarkand
K a r a k u m
e r t
Serdar
Gulistan
Jizzax
Murgab
Gorgan
Sari
Semnan
Aydar Lake
Nurota
T U R K M E N I S T A N
Magtymguly
Bandar-e Torkeman
Tashkent
U Z B E K I S T A N
Navoiy
ek
Atr
Esenguly
Shymkent
Zarafshon
Pitnak
Balkanabat
Hazar
KAZAKHSTAN
D e s e r t
Uchquduq
Golden Age Lake
(under construction)
Turkmenbashy
26
K y z y l k u m
Nukus
2000
1000
500
200
100
Amol
Turkestan
K A Z A K H S T A N
Turkmenistan’s eight strict nature reserves cover more than
784,000 ha and include a range of ecosystems. Besides the strict
reserves, there are 14 species management areas and 17 nature
monuments. The country’s first national park is in the process
of establishment. One of the famous nature monuments in the
Kugitang mountains has 2,000 fossilized dinosaur footprints.
A Visual Synthesis
Flora diversity
Flora species density
in Turkmenistan
Number of species, thousand
Vascular plants
Number of species per 10000 km
in Turkmenistan
in Turkmenistan
2
Vascular plants
400
6
5
4
3
Fauna diversity
2
1
Endemics
0
Source: Turkmenistan’s National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
10 000
350
500
300
400
250
Red-listed
Number of species
200
Red-listed
300
150
200
100
100
50
0
Source: Turkmenistan’s National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010)
The Red List of Turkmenistan includes around 30 mammals, 30
reptiles, and many bird species. Since the 1950s the tiger, Syrian
brown bear and lynx have vanished. The surviving populations
of goitered gazelles, markhors, wild sheep, leopards, wild cats
and wild goats are thought to be much reduced. Characteristic
desert mammals include honey badgers, endemic sand shrews,
ground squirrels and desert cats. There are many dry country
bird specialists: Pander’s ground jay, houbara bustard, sandgrouse, desert sparrow and several falcons. Desert reptiles
abound in Turkmenistan and many are endemic to Central Asia.
These include tortoises, lizards and snakes. Threats to biodiversity include habitat loss, deforestation, overgrazing and pollution.
Hunting, over-exploitation and the introduction of alien species
compound the damage.
The Caspian Sea ecosystem around the Cheleken peninsula of
Turkmenistan suffered years of environmental mismanagement
during the Soviet era. Industrial waste and discharges led in
those days to high levels of pollution in the Sea and on its shores.
While pollution has fallen, many effects persist.
Invertebrates
over 4 000
0
Birds Mammals Reptiles
Fish Amphibians
Source: Turkmenistan’s National Repor for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2010), UNDP GEF (2009)
Protected areas
in Turkmenistan
Area, thousand hectares
2 400
Protected areas in 2010
per cent of total land area
other
nature reserves
2 000
1 600
1 200
Forest cover in 2010
per cent of total land area
800
400
0
1992
2000
2010
27
0Biodiversity
100in Central
200Asia
300
400 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Source: Protected Planet (→ http://protectedplanet.net); UNESCO World Heritage Conventon (→ http://whc.unesco.org)
ADB Nature Atlas (→ http://beta.adb.org/publications/central-asia-atlas-natural-resources); Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (→ www.ramsar.org)
Elevation in metres
Baikonur
Beyneu
Dzhusaly
K A Z A K H S T A N
Aral Sea
Kyzylorda
a
ary
rD
Sy
Nukus
U Z B E K I S T A N
T U R K M E N I S T A N
Serdar
Great
Tu
Baharly
k
Bojnurd
N
Tejen
Quchan
Protected areas in Uzbekistan
Olmaliq
Jalal-Abad
Kokand
Fergana
Osh
Isfara
Istaravshan
T A J I K I S T A N
Dushanbe
Pamir
Kulob
Denov
Sherobod
Qurghonteppa
Termiz
Sarakhs
Sarahs
Feyzabad
A F G H A N I S T A N
Murgab
Korug
Drasan
Protected areas
UNESCO natural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO natural world heritage
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of international
importance especially as waterfowl habitat)
UNESCO cultural world heritage
Tentative UNESCO cultural world heritage
Uzbekistan’s mountains, deserts, riparian wetlands and the
Aral Sea (which in the past 50 years has shrunk dramatically) produce a diversity of habitats. More than four fifths
of the country is desert and semi-desert which includes
seven types of terrestrial ecosystems as well as wetlands.
Mountains occupy nearly 20% of the total land area.
28
Kerkichi
Andijan
Khujand
Gulistan
Qarshi
Karak
um
Cana
l
KYRGYZSTAN
Tashkent
Panjkent
Shahrisabz
Turkmenabat
Mary
Jizzax
Zar
a
Samarkand fshan
Toktogul
P anj
A
ollector
Aydar Lake
Navoiy
Bukhara
Shardara
b
Murga
R
rkmen C
Ashgabat
A tre
I
D e s e r t
arya
uD
Am
K a r a k u m
Shymkent
Vak
sh
Xiva
Bishkek
Talas
Itchan Kala
Urganch
Golden Age Lake
(under construction)
Taraz
D e s e r t
Uchquduq
Sarygamysh
Lake
Dashoguz
Shu
Zhanatas
Kentau
Turkestan
Qongirot
K y z y l k u m
2000
1000
500
200
100
C hu
Chiili
Moynoq
Balkanabad
Lake Balkash
Central Asia and Global Biodiversity
There are nine strict nature reserves, two national (natural)
parks, 14 species management areas, five nature monuments and the Dzeiran centre for captive breeding of rare
animals, including the goitered gazelle, wild ass, Houbara
bustard and Bactrian deer. Most of these areas were established in the Soviet era and cover 5.8% of the country’s
A Visual Synthesis
Flora diversity
Flora species density
in Uzbekistan
Number of species, thousand
Vascular plants
Number of species per 10000 km
in Uzbekistan
in Uzbekistan
2
Vascular plants
400
6
350
5
4
Fauna diversity
Red-listed
300
Number of species
Invertebrates
over 14 000
10 000
500
Red-listed
400
250
200
3
150
2
100
1
Endemics
0
Source: Uzbekistan’s National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2008)
300
200
100
50
0
Source: Uzbekistan’s National Report
for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2008)
area. New categories of protected areas covering groundwater and river zones are being introduced in the country. In
the past decade, more than 25 such water protection zones
along or upstream of the main rivers and lakes have been
designated. Protected areas of Uzbekistan are managed
by various state authorities: the Ministry of Agriculture
and Water Resources, the State Committee for Nature
Protection, and the Tashkent ProvincialAdministration
(Hokimiyat). The Kitab geological reserve is supervised by
the State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources.
Forests cover 7.7% of the land area: junipers constitute the
principal mountain forests and saxaul natural and artificial
forests are typical for deserts and are extensively used for
reforestation of the Aral Sea surrounding areas. More than
25% of all national forests are planted.
Rare animals include the saiga antelope, goitered gazelle,
desert monitor, Tien-Shan brown bear, snow leopard, mountain urial, Menzbier’s marmot, Dalmatian pelican, glossy ibis
and heron.
0
Birds Mammals Reptiles
Fish Amphibians
Source: Uzbekistan’s National Report for the UN Convention Biodiversity (2008); http://www.cbd.uz/
Protected areas
in Uzbekistan
Protected areas in 2010
Area, thousand hectares
per cent of total land area
3 000
2 500
other
national parks
nature reserves
2 000
1 500
Forest cover in 2010
per cent of total land area
1 000
500
0
1992
2000
2010
29
Biodiversity Richness
of Central Asia
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Steppes
R u s s i a
K a z a k h s t a n
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
I r a n
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Afghanistan
Steppes
32
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
Pakistan
C h i n a
India
Steppes are grassy and largely treeless plains. The climate
is usually too dry to support the growth of forests but not dry
enough to qualify as a desert, though some steppes may
be semi-deserts. They often experience very marked differences of temperature between day and night, and between
summer and winter. The steppes of southwestern Russia
and northern Central Asia are the world’s largest steppe ecoregion. Steppes have developed their own suite of species,
both resident and migratory. The Saryarka ecoregion is an
area of the Central Asian steppe with both freshwater and
saltwater lakes in northern Kazakhstan. A World Heritage
Site, it is outstanding for its wetlands that receive millions
of water birds migrating between Africa, Europe, and South
Asia and their breeding areas in Siberia. Up until the 1950s
Kazakhstan’s steppes were considered sustainable. In the
next two decades, however, 35 million hectares of virgin and
fallow steppe lands were ploughed for Soviet agriculture. The
soil lost over 30% of the humus which helps it to retain water
and nutrients and the ecological balance became increasingly
disturbed. Wind erosion triggered massive dust storms. After
collective farms vanished soil rehabilitation stopped and herders soon overcrowded steppe pastures and depleted them.
A Visual Synthesis
Deserts
R u s s i a
K a z a k h s t a n
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
I r a n
Deserts
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Afghanistan
Pakistan
C h i n a
India
The Central Asian deserts and semi-deserts include several
sandy, stony and clay deserts that stretch from the eastern
shore of the Caspian Sea to Lake Balkash and to the foothills
of the Kopetdag, Tien Shan and Pamir mountains. Rainfall,
totaling 70–125 millimetres per year, is greatest during the
winter and spring, with a long summer drought. The difference between night and day surface air temperatures in the
Central Asian deserts could be as high as 30°C. The large
Karakum Desert deserves special mention: it occupies more
than two-thirds of Turkmenistan and covers some 350,000
square kilometers, more than the total area of Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan combined. Under its arid surface are rich oil, gas,
and sulphur deposits that are now being fully exploited. The
spread of agriculture in the deserts, especially irrigated farming and grazing, in combination with energy infrastructure, is
the main threat to the local biodiversity. The unsustainable
use of plants, especially saxaul forests, for firewood is also
damaging.
33
Biodiversity in Central Asia
R
Samara
u
s
s
i
Omskk
a
Kokshetau
o
n
Kostanay
Orenburg
Oral
Barnaul
n
Petropavlovsk
o
Magnitogorsk
ra
Saratov
N
Novosibirsk
Chelyabinsk
Ufa
Pavlodar
Astana
Aktobe
A l t a i
Semey
Temirtau
Tengiz Lake
Altay
Karaganda
n
K
a
z
a
h
s
t
Zhezkazgan
Atyrau
Astrakhan
k
C a
Makhachkalaa
u
Nukus
Dashoguz
Turkmenbashi
Ghulja
Kyzylorda
yzylorda
d
a
k
Balkanabat
Ashgabat
b
or
Gorgan
Sari
A l
b o
r z
I
r
a
n
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenabat
S
Samarkand
Karshi
p
Qurghonteppa
Termiz
Kabul
a
Broadleaf, fruit-nut
Saxaul
Juniper, pine, larch
Birch, aspen
Tugai and floodplain forests
i
e
n
n
a
Korla
Aksu
T a k l a m a k a n
C h i n a
Hotan
Korug
h
h
m
Qie
Kashgar
Pamir
u
Kunduz
Afghanistan k u s
u
n d
H i
Fir, spruce
S
Dushanbe T a j i k i s t a n
Mazar-e Sharif
Herat
T
Jalalabad
Kokand
Osh
Kujand
rghana
Ferghana
Jizakh
B
Bukhara
Mashad
Forests
Ysik-Kol
Tashkent
a
U z b e k i s t a n
Mary
Bojnurd
Tehran
Qom
Urganch
K a r a k u m
a
Rasht
Bishkek
k
e
Shymkent
K y z y l k u m
Turkmenistan
S e
Baku
Ba
aku
Shihezi Ur
Taldykorgan
ga
Almaty
a n
s p i
AZR
am
Karamay
LLake Alakol
Lake Balkhash
Baikonur
Eastern
Aral Seaa
W
Western
Aral Sea
Lake Zaysan
n
Balkhash
Northern
e
Aral Sea
S
Aktau
a
K
ar
ak
or
um
Pakistan
Gilgit
Peshawar
Forest steppe, mainly pine and birch
r
Srinagar
I n d i0 a
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Source: World Wildlife Fund (→ www.worldwildlife.org/science/data/item6373.html)
Forest reduction in the 20th century
in Central Asia
Tien Shan spruce forests in Kyrgyzstan
Junipers in Kyrgyzstan
Pistachios in Tajikistan
Tugai forests in the Amu Darya delta, Uzbekistan
-100%
34
-90%
-80%
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
-70%
-60%
-50%
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0
A Visual Synthesis
Forest cover in Central Asia
Area, thousand hectares
12 500
Kazakhstan
11 500
10 500
9 500
Other forests
8 500
7 500
Fruit and nut forests
Evergreen (coniferous) forests
Forests
Some of Central Asia’s forests are sparse,
like the saxaul woodlands of the deserts,
while others are traditional dense forests. All
play key roles as indicators of species diversity, core ecosystem elements, and carbon
sinks. They offer not only timber but many
non-wood products, including fruit, nuts and
honey, as well as refuges for wildlife. Most of
Tajikistan’s and Kyrgyzstan’s forests, in fact,
are protected, with timber felling forbidden.
Some forests harbour trees which tolerate
high aridity and salinity, and others which
are close relatives of domestic food plants:
both could be useful as climate change
and biodiversity loss intensify. Much of the
region’s forests was lost in the early Soviet
years (the 1930s-1940s). Today’s main
threats are grazing and trampling, fires, and
illegal cutting for fuel and sale.
6 500
5 500
Desert (saxaul) forests
Forest stock in Central Asia
Biomass, dry weight
million metric tonnes *
Volume, million cubic metres
4 500
3 500
400
Turkmenistan
Other forests, including saxaul
Evergreen (coniferous) forests
2 500
500
300
300
250
1 500
Kazakhstan
350
Uzbekistan
Forest biomass
200
above ground
200
100
150
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
0
Source: FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, data for 2005-2010
100
50
0
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Source: FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, data for 2005-2010
100
below ground
* total for Central Asia
Source: FAO 2010, data for 2005-2010
35
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Saxaul trees grow in the deserts of Central Asia. The biggest
saxaul forests, which are composed primarily of white and
black saxaul, are in southern Kazakhstan where they cover
six million hectares. Turkmenistan has about four million
hectares, Uzbekistan two million, and small areas are also
found in Tajikistan. Saxaul trees are important for protecting
soil and helping prevent sand from filling channels, oases and
covering roads, and so help to regulate water supply. They
benefit pastures by providing shade and increasing pasture
productivity. They are extensively used for reforestation
efforts around the Aral Sea to mitigate dust storms and halt
desertification. The saxaul has extensive root systems reaching down as deep as 10 metres to find moisture. Saxaul trees
grow up to 10-12 metres high and live 50 years.
Tugai forests are floodplain forests of Central Asia, found in
river valleys where the groundwater is close to the surface.
They can include a range of tree species, among them poplar,
willow, tamarisk, birch, salt tree and buckthorn. They were
once widespread, but the area occupied by tugai has shrunk
dramatically because of floodplain reclamation and low water
levels in rivers and deltas. Those that are left are vital for wildlife. The largest remaining tugai forests are found in the lower
Amu Darya river delta. Floodplain forests in the mountains
are increasingly threatened by the gold development projects
along nearby river beds. Tugai forests have a high value for
soil protection, and serve as grazing lands, fire barriers and
habitats for wildlife.
Spruce, firs and juniper woods are found in the Central
Asian mountains at altitudes up to 3,700 m above sea
level. Juniper trees grow at about 2 cm annually, and some
specimens are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.
Most juniper forests are found on the northern slopes of
the Turkestan, Alai, Zeravshan and Gissar mountains. The
Tien Shan spruce forests are typical of the Issyk-Kul Lake’s
surroundings. All mountain forests play a vital soil-protection
and water-regulating role and they are strictly protected. They
attenuate erosion processes, stabilize the soil against mudand-stone landslides and regulate runoff.
36
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
A Visual Synthesis
Wild apple forests
The mountains of Kazakhstan and the other countries of
Central Asia are key for the world’s apples. Scientists believe
Central Asia produced the ancestor of most cultivated apple
species, which then spread East and West along the Silk
Road. But the wild apple forests are not adequately managed
to conserve biodiversity, and there are fears they are losing
their genetic distinctiveness. Kazakhstan is now working to
conserve its wild apples in situ - in their native habitats, in addition to research stations and botanical gardens. Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan also have significant wild fruit and nut forests.
On the eastern slopes of the Fergana Valley in southern
Kyrgyzstan are the largest areas of natural walnut forests
in the world, composed mainly of walnut but also including
other fruit trees and shrubs, among them varieties of apple,
pear and plum. The forests have extremely rich biodiversity - more than 180 tree species, 150 bird species and 40
mammal species. After studying traditional forest management schemes, Kyrgyzstan with Swiss support introduced
community fruit-and-nut forest management, an experimental
approach that engaged community groups and local authorities to manage forests. In addition to Kyrgyzstan, walnut
forests also grow in central and southern Tajikistan.
The pistachio is a tree which is salt- and aridity-tolerant
and can also cope with wide temperature fluctuations, from
-10°C to 40°C. Well-known in southern Turkmenistan and
Tajikistan, it grows as well in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Many of today’s pistachio forests are planted rather than
natural growth. Wild pistachio nuts are prized for their flavour.
Each hectare of pistachio forest on average provides 80 kg
of nuts and in some areas 300 kg. But pistachio trees are
valuable for more than their harvest. They can protect the
soil and prevent the formation of gullies and the destruction
of mountain slopes.
37
Biodiversity in Central Asia
ha
Pamir and Tien Shan
Ba
3000
4000
5000
200
e
2000
100
Lak
1000
0
lk
Altitude in metres
sh
300 km
Taldykorgan
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, November 2011
A
Z
A
K
H
S
T
A
N
Ghulja
Ili
K
Qyzylorda
Ch
u
Kapchagay Lake
L
Almaty
Sy
Talgar Peak
4979
as
Tal
a
ary
rD
Turkestan
Taraz
Bishkek
Ysyk-Kol
Shymkent
yn
K Y R G Y Z S T A N
Tashkent
T
i
h
S
n
a
7439
Jengish (Pobeda)
Peak
n
e
Aksu
5982
Dankova Peak
n He
Hota
Namangan
Ferghana Valley
Kokand
UZBEKISTAN
Jizakh
Piramida Peak
TAJIKISTAN
Vakh
sh
Dushanbe
7134
Lenin Peak
7495
Ismoil Somoni Peak
6974
Independence
Peak
A F G H A N I S T A N
38
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
C
H
I
N
A
T a k l a m a k a n
7719
Kongur Shan
Hotan
P a m i r
Termiz
Amu
Darya
Mazar-e Sharif
He
Kashgar
5509
Samarkand
Karshi
Osh
Ferghana
Yarka
nt
oiy
Kujand
7282
PAKISTAN
Disthegil Sar
7885
7788
Rakaposhi
Muztag
8611
K2
A Visual Synthesis
Kopet Dag
Altitude in metres
Tejen
T U R K M E N I S T A N
500 1000 1500 2000
Karakum Ca
nal
Baharly
Gokdepe
Ashgabat
Abadan
Lotfabad
Kaka
Teje
n
Dushak
Kalat-e Naderi
Magtymguly
Kazakhstan
K
o
e
p
D
t
Shirvan
Uzbekistan
A tre k
Bojnurd
I
R
Turkmenistan
Maraveh
Tappeh
Iran
A
N
Quchan
a
g
Radkan
Kashaf
Chakaneh Sofli
Mashad
0
Afghanistan
Mountain Ecosystems
Diverse mountain ranges described by the early Persians
as the “Roof of the World” and by the Chinese as the
“Heavenly Mountains” have always played a pivotal role in
Central Asia. The mountains provide an astonishing array
of essential ecosystem goods and services that serve not
only the mountain inhabitants but also those in the lowlands
and people around the globe: forest products and land for
food production; watershed protection; habitat for flora and
fauna of local and global significance; the regulation of
natural hazards and climate; natural areas for leisure and
recreational activities; and perhaps most important of all,
the storage and release of water.
Two of Central Asia’s major mountain ranges – the Pamirs
in Tajikistan and the Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan – make those
countries the most mountainous in the region, with an
average elevation of about 3,000 metres above sea level,
peaks exceeding 7,000 metres and more than 90% of their
national territories considered as mountainous.
25
50
75
100 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Global biodiversity hotspots
Mountains of
Central Asia
The Kopet Dag, also known as the Turkmen-Khorasan
mountains, run along the border of Turkmenistan and Iran,
a region characterized by foothills, dry and sandy slopes,
plateaus and steep ravines. Mountains comprise only 5%
of Turkmenistan’s land area but hold about two thirds of the
country’s biodiversity.
39
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Mountain ecosystems also cover parts of east Kazakhstan
(the Kazakh uplands, Djungar Alatoo, Tarbagatai and
Altai), south-east Uzbekistan (Western Tien Shan and
Gissar), and extend into Afghanistan (Hindu Kush) and
China. Overall, mountains cover 800,000 square kilometres or 20% of the total area of Central Asia.
40
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
Most of the population in Central Asia relies on water that
falls in the mountains where it is stored in glaciers and snow
before making its way downstream to population centres.
The densely populated valleys and oases of the vast
drylands of Central Asia depend on mountain water transported by numerous rivers and streams. Global warming is
slowly melting mountain glaciers, affecting snow reserves
and at the same time increasing the water requirements of
basic agricultural crops.
A Visual Synthesis
The Central Asia mountains host at least 20 distinct ecosystems and 4,500–5,500 species of vascular plants, almost
one quarter of which are unique (endemic) to the region.
At lower altitudes and in the foothills, dryland ecosystems
prevail. At higher altitudes, grasslands, shrubs and forests
are widespread. Meadows and tundra-like ecosystems
are found at the high mountain plateaus.
Globally endangered species resident in the mountains
include the snow leopard (with more than half of the global
population) and the Marco Polo sheep. The numbers of
these species have declined, however, as a result of
poaching, hunting and the depletion of the food base.
The high biodiversity richness and endemism of flora and
fauna of the mountains of Central Asia is exemplified by
the fact that the number of vascular plant species found
in the Pamir-Alai or the Tien Shan Mountains is four times
higher than that of the nearby lowland Karakum Desert,
which has twice the area.
41
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest enclosed body of
water by area: it covers 371,000 sq km. The Caspian seal is
endemic to the Sea, which is also home to many sturgeon
species, now endangered by overfishing for the caviar
trade. The commercial value of the Caspian’s biodiversity
is estimated by the Caspian Environmental Programme
at US $5 bn annually. The Volga River, Europe’s largest,
provides 80% of the Caspian’s fresh water, much of it
polluted. Offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation poses other risks. The other main river flowing into the
northern Caspian is the Ural: the wetlands around the Ural
delta are important to migrating birds.
150
0
n
Do
Volgograd
300
The Khazar nature reserve near Turkmenistan’s Caspian
coast, is home to 18 mammal species and more than 370
birds, nearly half of them waterfowl. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol
is a shallow water ecosystem in north-west Turkmenistan,
forming a lagoon of the Caspian about 18,000 sq km in
extent but separated from it by a small rocky ridge with a
very narrow opening. The salinity of the bay is about 35%,
against the Caspian’s 1.2%, and 3.5% for the world’s
oceans. In the Soviet era, the Kara-Bogaz-Gol was artificially separated from the Caspian, which led to negative
environmental impacts.
450 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, November 2011
Atyrau
lga
Vo
Astrakhan
K A Z A K H S T A N
R U S S I A
a
Makhachkala
100
500
k
Ardabil
Rasht
200
Gorgan
Sari
Teheran
I
R
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
4
A
3
0.5
0.4
2
0.3
A
Lake
Urmia
rmi
rmi
TURKMENISTAN
S
Altitude in metres
Depth in metres
200
Tabriz
5
0.8
0.7
Turkmenbashy
a
S e
42
500
thousand tonnes
6
0.6
Baku
1000
million, number of animals
1.0
Sturgeon catch in the
Ural-Caspian basin
0.9
Kara-Bogaz
K
Kara-Boga
oggaz-
AZERBAIJAN
Mingacevir
Shirvan
1500
Zhanaozen
Sarygamysh
Sarygamys
Sar
arygamysh
rygam s
Lake
a n
p i
Tbilisi
2000
UZB
s
GEORGIA
Aktau
C
Mineralnye Vody
TereGrozny
k
Vladikavkaz
Decline of the
Caspian Seals
N
0.2
1
0.1
0
1900 1930 1960 1990 2010
Sources: Caspian Environmental Programme;
Russian Wildlife Conservation Centre
0
1985
1990
1995
2000 2006
Source: Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of the
Caspian Environmental Programme 2007
A Visual Synthesis
Aral Sea
The Aral Sea region in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is
suffering a severe environmental disaster. In the early
1960s, the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers
that fed the Sea were diverted for irrigation mainly to grow
cotton, causing the gradual disappearance of the Sea.
Despite numerous local and international rescue efforts it
continues to shrink, as overall water consumption patterns
persist. The exposed seabed has left salt, sand, dust and
agricultural chemicals blowing as far as 300 km. Water,
land, crops and human health all suffer, with chronic respiratory and kidney disorders and liver diseases increasing.
The Sea can no longer moderate the increasingly extreme
climate. The economy, based on fisheries, livestock
grazing, hunting and fur production, is devastated. Four
decades ago the annual fish catch was 35,000 tonnes,
but fishing stopped altogether in the mid-1980s, although
Kazakhstan has partly managed to restore water levels
and fisheries with an extensive artificial dam in the northern Aral Sea.
Many lakes and wetlands dried up or were drastically
reduced, causing the disappearance of 90% of the tugai
(floodplain) woodland. Poaching and habitat fragmentation caused further stress and led to the extinction of the
Turan (Caspian) tiger, other large predators and a significant drop in the Bukhara (Bactrian) deer.
Fish catch in the Aral Sea region
thousand tonnes per year
50
Massive water withdrawal
for irrigation, over-fishing
40
30
20
Fishery
cessation
in the sea
10
0
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Sources: International Symposium on the Management of Large Rivers for Fisheries (2003);
Integrated Water Resource Management in the Amu Darya delta (2010);
Environment and Security in the Amu Darya river basin (2011)
The shrinking Aral Sea
1960
1980
Aralsk
2000
Aralsk
2010
Aralsk
Aralsk
North Aral dam
seasonal
lake
Muynak
Muynak
Muynak
Muynak
100 km
Source: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php; Climate Change Central Asia: a visual synthesis report (2009)
43
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Ak-Tuz
Kemin
C
Shabdan
Grigorevka
Ananevo
Tup
Cholpon-Ata
hu
Taldyy-Suu
Kuturgu
Mikhaylovka
Novovoznesenovka
Karakol
Balikchy
I s s y k
Orto-Tokoy
K u
Kyzyt-Suu
1609
Ottuk
Kazakhstan
Kochkor
Depth in metres
400
0
300
200
Altitude in metres
Kyrgyzstan
2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
100
50
25
Tamka
UZB
75 km
Tajikistan
China
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, November 2011
Fish catch in Issyk-Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan
Average annual catch, tonnes
1 400
1 200
1 000
800
600
Chebachok Leuciscus bergi
400
Other species
200
0
1960s
1970s
1980s
Fishery ban
introduced
in 2008
1990s
Source: V. Pivnev Fish of Kyrgyzstan 1990"; J. Ismanbaeva 2008
44
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
2001-03
Issyk-Kul Lake
Issyk-Kul Lake (“hot lake” in Kyrgyz - it never freezes) lies in eastern
Kyrgyzstan. Issyk-Kul, with a surface area of 6,236 square kilometers
is the region’s largest mountain lake. It is on the Ramsar Convention’s
list of globally significant wetlands and forms the core of a biosphere
reserve. Once a Silk Road staging post, it was a popular tourist resort
and a flourishing fishing ground. In the last decade, however, fisheries declined to negligible levels, and many fish, including endemic
species, are threatened, because of over-fishing, predation by introduced species, and the end of restocking with juvenile fish. The
government banned all fishing here in 2008. In spite of this, thousands
of illegal fishing nets are detected annually. While agricultural runoff
into the lake and oil leakages from navigation have much reduced over
the past 20 years, the poorly treated wastewater from urban and tourist areas continues to pose pollution risks to the lake’s ecosystem.
Community based and eco-friendly tourism is now developing around
the lake. The restoration of the lake’s ecosystem depends in large part
on the restocking of the lake with juvenile endemic fish from hatcheries
and on tighter control of illegal fishing.
A Visual Synthesis
45
Biodiversity in Central Asia
46
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
A Visual Synthesis
Tulips of Central Asia
Central Asia is home to the wild tulip, forebear of the
carefully nurtured blooms which now beguile gardeners
across the world. But in their heartland many are under
severe pressure from agriculture and plant collectors.
In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, more than 20 species are
included in the national Red Lists as rare and endangered.
Of more than 100 tulip species known globally, roughly
half are found in Central Asia.
47
Biodiversity in Central Asia
s
i
a
n
Kostanay
Kokshetau
o
Orenburg
Pavlodar
Astana
Ural
Aktobe
sh
Irty
Oral
Barnaul
n
Ob
Petropavlovsk
o
Magnitogorsk
Volga
ra
Saratov
s
Ish
im
Samara
u
Omskk
Tob
ol
R
N
Novosibirsk
Chelyabinsk
Ufa
A l t a i
Semey
Temirtau
Tengiz Lake
Altay
Karaganda
n
a
z
a
Atyrau
Dashoguz
S e
h
Turkmenbashi
Turkmenistan
a
Balkanabat
a
or
Gorgan
Tehran
I
r
a
Mary
Bojnurd
n
Termiz
Kashgar
T a k l a m a k a n
C h i n a
K
ar
ak
or
um
Pakistan
Peshawar
S
Srinagar
I n d i a
Central Asia selected flagship species
0
Mountains
Grasslands
Snow leopard
Mountain goat (Markhor)
Saiga antelope
Varan (Desert Monitor)
Deserts
Persian leopard
Mountain sheep
(Marco polo sheep)
Bactrian deer
Caspian seal
Steppe eagle
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, November 2011
Source: ???
48
Biodiversity Richness of Central Asia
im
Tar
m
Qie
Hotan
Gilgit
h
s
k u
u
n d
H i
a
Kabul
Herat
n
Korug
P
u
Kunduz
Afghanistan
e
i
Pamir
Dushanbe
Mazar-e Sharif
Mashad
T
Tajikistan
a
Karshi
a
h
S Aksu
Ysik-Kol
Kyrgyzstan
mu
Da
rya
Korla
n
Bishkek
k
k
Shymkent
A
Ashgabat
b
Ghulja
Almaty
Jalalabad
Kokand
Osh
U z b e k i s t a nTashkent
Kujand
rgg na
Ferghana
Jizakh
Bukhara Samarkand
Saamarkand
r
K a r a k u m
Ka
Ca raku
na m
Turkmenabat
l
Sari
A l
b o
r z
Shihezi Uru
Taldykorgann
K y z y l k u m
Urganch
am
Karamay
LLake Alakol
Chu
a
ary
rD
Sy
u
Nukus
Lake Zaysan
n
Lake Balkhash
Kyzylorda
Kyzy
rda
a
Rasht
Qom
a
Balkhash
Baikonur
Aktau
a n
s p i
Baku
Ba
aku
t
an
j
C a
AZR
s
Z
Zhezkazgan
Aral Sea
Makhachkalaa
h
Sar
ysu
Astrakhan
k
Yarka
nd
K
A Visual Synthesis
Snow Leopard
Symbol of the 2011 Winter Asian
Games and motif of the coat of
arms of Central Asia cities, this
stealthy nocturnal hunter with its
huge furry tail is well adapted to
life at high elevations. But poaching and loss of prey and habitat
mean at most 7,000 wild survivors
remain worldwide.
Marco Polo Sheep (Argali)
The largest wild sheep, a coveted
trophy with its curling horns, this is
a sub-species of the argali sheep.
The 13th century explorer described
them in his autobiographical book
The Travels of Marco Polo. Argali
inhabit high mountain plateaus of
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and move
across borders to other countries.
Markhor
This large wild goat is an excellent
climber and cliffhanger and has
screw-shaped 1.5 m long horns.
Endemic to the Pamir-Hindu Kush
region, it has no more than 4,000
wild survivors worldwide, which are
estimated to be declining. Several
nature reserves in Tajikistan have
been established to protect this
and other species.
Bactrian Deer
Formerly hunted by royalty and
for its gorgeous horns, this red
deer occupies river corridors
surrounded by deserts, and is now
highly endangered because of the
loss of this habitat (the tugai floodplain forests). Fewer than 500
animals remain in the wild.
Saiga
These antelopes have huge inflatable noses and migrate in large
groups over long distances. They
have adapted to survive the harsh,
windy winter steppes. Habitat loss,
poaching, drought and disease
have reduced them from several
million to under 50,000 in 20 years.
Caspian Seal
Found only in the Caspian Sea,
these exotic animals depend on
its ice, now threatened by climate
change. Regarded as indicators
of the Sea’s health, they migrate
to the deeper and cooler southern Caspian in the summer. The
Caspian seals’ numbers are estimated at 100,000 animals: 10 times
less than a century ago.
Varan (Desert Monitor)
This monitor lizard, found also in
other parts of the world, is known
locally as the desert crocodile and
is the stuff of legend for its size and
appetite. It uses its long, powerful
tail like a whip in defence. In the
early 20th century, massive hunting due to high demand for its skin
drastically reduced its numbers.
Steppe Eagle
This bird of prey, Kazakhstan’s
national symbol, relies on its very
sharp eyes. It prefers desert,
steppe or savannah, and Central
Asian populations winter in Africa.
Habitat destruction, persecution
and power line collisions are causing a slow decline.
49
Biodiversity
Services and Products
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Day in, day out, the natural world provides many vitally
important services and products. Different species and
ecosystems keep the Earth friendly to human existence,
oxygenating the atmosphere, purifying water, fixing nitrogen, recycling nutrients and waste and pollinating crops
(one estimate says bees alone provide about a third of
human nutrition). The economic value of biodiversity
services and products at regional and national levels in
Central Asia has not been assessed yet, but global studies show that these can be much higher than the gross
national product.
Sport and tourism
Sense of place,
spiritual value, inspiraon
Weather formaon, climate regulaon
Indicators of
global changes,
decomposion,
weathering
Recreaon, health services
Water storage
Hazard regulaon,
carbon storage, soil formaon,
watershed protecon
Diversity of habitats,
unique flora and fauna
Pollinaon, purificaon
Au
Genec resources,
wild fruit-nut forests
Natural pastures,
livestock
Tradional knowledge
and products
Food products, crops
Water supply
52
Biodiversity Services and Products
Mineral resources
Hydropower potenal
A Visual Synthesis
Nikolai Vavilov was a Soviet botanist and geneticist credited with describing the centres of origin of cultivated
plants. In 1931 he identified Central Asia as one of the
eight most important of these centres, the region richest in
diversity both within and between species.
Honey produce
Honey, thousand tonnes
14
The region is rich in highly variable domesticated crops
with many unique landraces. The main cultivated crops
are cereals, food legumes, vegetables, melons, industrial
and stimulant crops. Fruits include apple, apricot, peach,
pear, plum, grape, almond, pistachio, pomegranate and
fig. Many landraces and old local cultivars survive.
The native genetic diversity of fruit species has been
eroded, through overgrazing, deforestation and industrialization. Following the Soviet collapse, people have
overused fruit crops, worsening genetic erosion. But the
high diversity of cultivated plant species remains important globally as well as for Central Asia itself.
Kyrgyzstan
12
Vavilov’s centres of origin
10
8
6
Tajikistan
Central Asia
4
2
0
1990
2010
Source: agrostatistics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
53
Biodiversity in Central Asia
s
i
a
Magnitogorsk
Volga
ra
Saratov
s
Omskk
Kostanay
n
Kokshetau
o
Orenburg
Pavlodar
Astana
al
Aktobe
sh
Irty
Oral
Barnaul
n
Ob
Petropavlovsk
o
Ish
im
Samara
u
N
Novosibirsk
Chelyabinsk
Tob
ol
R
Ufa
A l t a i
Semey
Temirtau
Tengiz Lake
Altay
Lake Zaysan
Atyrau
Aral Sea
Shihezi Ur
Taldykorgan
Ghulja
C a
Chu
Almaty
a
ary
rD
Sy
Dashoguz
Ysik-Kol
Urganch
Tashkent
Turkmenbashi
e
Jizakh
Kujand
Bojnurd
Tehran
I
Qom
r
a
Mary
n
Mashad
Karshi
Dushanbe
Kashgar
Termiz
Herat
H
u s
u k
n d
h
Kabul
a
Aksu
Korla
im
Tar
C h i n a
Hotan
Korug
K
ar
ak
or
um
Pakistan
Gilgit
Afghanistan
n
T a k l a m a k a n
Pamir
Mazar-e Sharif
Tejen
Sari
A l
b o
r z
mu
Da
ry
an
j
or
Gorgan
Turkmenabat
A
a
Rasht
n
h
a
m
Qie
Osh
a
Ka
Ca raku
na m
l
e
i
T
Jalalabad
Kokand
S
Yarka
nd
a n
s p i
Baku
Ba
aku
Lake Balkhash
Aktau
Makhachkalaa
AZR
am
Karamay
Sar
ysu
Astrakhan
Peshawar
S
Srinagar
I n d i a
Agrobiodiversity
0
Rainfed croplands
Grazing lands
Irrigated croplands
Areas abobe 3000 metres
100
200
Intense grazing
Orchards
Wheat
Cotton
Vineyards
Sunflowers
Fruit- and nut forests
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Source: Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries (→ www.agroatlas.ru/ru/content/vegetation_maps/Arable)
54
Biodiversity Services and Products
Honey production
A Visual Synthesis
Agrobiodiversity
Most land in Central Asia, apart from glaciers and sheer
rock faces, is used for agriculture. This form of farming is
known locally as agrobiodiversity, meaning that it includes
traditionally cultivated lands as well as natural pastures on
the deserts and steppes and in the mountains, and also
areas such as wild fruit and nut forests.
The map and table showing the top ten agricultural products of each country of Central Asia illustrate how they
have adapted to their individual topography, climate
and traditions. Kazakhstan, for example, puts its rolling
steppes to good use for growing wheat, while beef and
milk are both high on the list because of the extensive
grazing available. Horsemeat also makes an appearance,
because there are so many horses used in other forms
of agriculture that a market has been found for them. In
mountainous Kyrgyzstan, however, wheat is much further
down the list, but root vegetables (potatoes, carrots and
turnips) enjoy more prominence. Kyrgyzstan’s Talas Valley
is the largest producer of beans in Central Asia. Cotton
production is clearly dominant in the other three countries
of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
TOP 10 agricultural products
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Milk
Bean
Cotton Lint
Egg
Carrot
Cotton seed
Cattle meat
Onion
Wool
Horse meat
Apple
Pig meat
Tomato
Sheep meat
Wheat
Potato
Grape
Source: FAOSTAT
55
Challenges
for Biodiversity
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Ufa
Uf
U
fa
C y
Chelyabinsk
k
R U S S I A
Penza
Omsk
Petropavlovsk
ov
Samara
Buzuluk
r
Kumertau
Volga
Magnitogorsk
o
o
Kokshetau
n
Kostanay
Atbasar
Oral
sh
Irty
Aktobe
Arkalyk
K
H
S
T
A
N
Balkhash
Amu Darya Delta
and Aral Sea
e
Zhanaozen
S e
Kara-BogazGol
Dashoguz
Uchkudukk
a
Dary
Amu
Neyshabur
I
R
Challenges for Biodiversity
A
N
Namangan
Ferghana
Jizakh
Jalalabad
Osh
Kashgar
TAJIKISTAN
Ashgabat
Mary
Southern
Turkmenistan
Issyk-K
KYRGYZSTAN
e Naryn
Ferghana valley
U Z B E K I S T A N
Navoiy
Bishkek
ek
Toktogul
Tashkent region
raa
Bukhara
Almaty
Balykchy Issyk-Kul
Taraz
Tashkent
a
Tehran
Gorgan
Z
Zhanatas
Shymkent
Urganch
TURKMENISTAN
Gonbad-e
Kavus
Bojnurd
Foothills and Mountains off
Pamirs and Tien Shan
n
Kentau
Turkmenabat
Sari
T
Chu
Sy
r
Turkestan
Balkanabat
k
Rasht
Qom
Ili
Nukus
u
Turkmenbashi
Karaj
L Balkhash
Lake
rya
Da
a n
p i
C a s
Baku
Ba
B
Ay
yy
Kyzylorda
Cheleken
Penninsula
58
K
Baikonur
Aral Sea
S
Aktau
Mingachevir
r
Arak
A
Aral
Derbent
Shirvan
Z
Temirtau
Karaganda
Zhezkazgan
Northern
Caspian Sea
Makhachkala
A
Atyrau
Astrakhan
Northern Kazakhstan
kh
Orsk
Ural
Volgograd
go
Pavlodar
Stepnogorsk
Rudniy
Orenburg
and Uzbekistan
Termiz
Mazar-e Sharif
AFGHANISTAN
Central
n
Eastern
Korug
Gilgit
A Visual Synthesis
Ob
Synthesis of
biodiversity challenges
Novokuznetsk
Barnaul
n
Population density (inhabitants per km²)
Biysk
Semey
1
Oskemen
Environmental crisis area: ecosystemchange and degradation due to massive
water withdrawal for agriculture with
negative implications for life quality,
economic performance, health and
environment
Lake Zaysann
yagoz
o
Tacheng
l
Sensitive ecological regions intensely used
for agriculture (crop cultivation and
grazing) and experiencing high pressure
from climate change, habitat disturbance
and overexploitation
Karamay
K
Kuytun
Shihezi
Ghulja
Densely populated and industrialized
regions
C H I N A
Tup
Kul Lake
n Pamir
50
Sensitive water ecosystems with complex
manmade pressures on biodiversity
including climate change, pollution, habitat
disturbance, overexploitation and invasive
species
n
Zyryanovsk
Taldykorgan
a
5
Kuqa
Fortified borders
0
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Source: LandScan Global Population Database 2007, Oak Ridge, TN,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (→ www.ornl.gov/sci/landscan)
The map (left) shows starkly how multiple pressures are affecting Central Asia’s biodiversity.
Underlying the distinct pressures it shows the
fact that much of the region is scarcely-populated
mountain or desert, so there is a relatively small
area where the problems are concentrated.
Climate change is a real and growing global
problem which is affecting Central Asia already.
Beyond that, four sorts of pressure are discernible. One is the deterioration of water ecosystems
because of pollution, invasive species and other
factors: this is evident in the Caspian Sea and
Lake Issyk-Kul. Another is the massive loss of
water in the Aral Sea basin caused by thoughtless and unplanned nature exploitation and
large-scale irrigation projects over the past five
to seven decades. Then there is the extensive
damage from habitat loss and overexploitation.
Last, there is the inevitable pressure of population and industry. Fortified borders and energy
and transport infrastructure augment biodiversity
impacts through habitat fragmentation.
Probably all of the above pressures can be
relieved by careful planning and rigorous
enforcement, though remediating the existing
damage would be very expensive. The problems
may appear intractable, unless the countries
of Central Asia can together make very rapid
progress towards balancing population growth,
greening their industries, energy sectors and
agriculture and protecting their natural ecosystems effectively. As all of this will need to happen
not only quickly but in the context of a warming
climate, the prospect is challenging.
59
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Change in surface temperature, 1951-2001
RUSSIA
Change in precipitation, 1951-2001
RUSSIA
Astana
Astana
KAZAKHSTAN
KAZAKHSTAN
Bishkek
UZBEKISTAN
TURKMENISTAN
Ashgabat
CHINA
TAJIKISTAN
0.1
0.2
0.4
IRAN
Sources: U.K. Climate Research Unit (data synthesis is available at: www.climatewizard.org),
compilation of information from the Second (and the First) National Communications
Surface temperature trends
Country-averaged annual air temperature (C°)
18
Turkmenistan
16
14
Uzbekistan
12
10
8
Kazakhstan
6
Tajikistan
4
Kyrgyzstan
2
0
1951
1960
1970
1980
1990
2001
Source: U.K. Climate Research Unit data synthesis at: www.climatewizard.org
60
Challenges for Biodiversity
UZBEKISTAN
Tashkent KYRGYZSTAN
Temp. change
C° per decade
Dushanbe
TURKMENISTAN
Ashgabat
IRAN
Bishkek
CHINA
Tashkent KYRGYZSTAN
Rainfall change
mm per decade
Dushanbe
2
TAJIKISTAN
1
0
-1
-2
Sources: U.K. Climate Research Unit (data synthesis is available at: www.climatewizard.org),
compilation of information from the Second (and First) National Communications
A Visual Synthesis
1 - Increased climate aridity, expansion of
desert areas
Climate change impact on ecosystems
2 - Ecosystem degradation due to reduced
river flow, increased risk of fires and diseases
Elevation, m
4 000
9
Nival
(glacier)
ecosystem
Migratory birds
3 500
3 000
8
2 500
3 - Increased ecosystem productivity in
northern parts of Central Asia, northward
shift of vegetation
4 - Forest degradation due to reduced runoff,
increased risk of droughts and diseases
10
Lakes
5 - Changes in species composition, risk of
extinction of endangered and vulnerable species
6 - Alteration of food-chains, change in the
balance of predators and herbivorous animals
Alpine
ecosystem
Evergreen forests
(juniper, pine)
2 000
7
Broad-leaf forests
(walnut, apple, maple)
4
Sensitive
species and
ecotones
5
1 500
1 000
Tugai ecosystem
(river floodplains)
Deserts and
500 semi-deserts
2
1
Middle
mountain
ecosystems
6
Steppes
3
Xerophitic forests
(pistachio, saxaul)
11 and pastures
9 - Glacier melt and vegetation succession,
alpine habitat loss
Agricultural
ecosystems
(0-3000 m)
12
10 - Physical and biological changes in high
mountain lakes
Concept: I. Abdusalomov and V. Novikov
Glacier volume change
in Kyrgyzstan
Glacier volume change
in Tajikistan
Volume, km3
700
Volume, km3
700
600
600
500
500
400
400
300
300
200
200
0
?
50 years ago
Today
8 - Degradation and reduction of habitats,
reduction of forage
11 - Changes in phenology (earlier ripening,
fading), pest attacks
0
100
7 - Shift of forest communities to higher
altitudes, risk of fires
Next 50 years
Source: Kyrgyzstan’s Second National Communication, 2009
?
100
0
50 years ago
Today
Next 50 years
Source: Tajikistan’s Second National Communication, 2008
12 - Mixed negative and positive effects of
climate warming
Weather records confirm that the surface
temperatures in Central Asia are growing, but precipitation trends are different.
Almost everywhere, climate warming in
winter is more pronounced than in other
seasons.
Climate change scenarios for Central Asia
envisage a 1°C–3°C increase in temperature in the next two to four decades. If global
greenhouse gas emissions are unmitigated, scientists project that temperatures
could exceed today’s by 3°C–6°C by the
end of the century while rainfall amounts
in southern parts of Central Asia could
reduce. The impacts of these weather
changes, especially in the mountains, are
still unknown.
61
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Ufaa
U
R U S S I A
Penza
Samara
Volga
Saratov
a
Omsk
sk
Chelyy bi skk
Chelyabinsk
Buzuluk
r
Kumertau
Petropavlovsk
o
Kostanay
Magnitogorsk
n
Kokshetau
K
Ko
Stepnogorsk
Rudniy
Oral
Atbasar
Orsk
Astana
A
Aktobe
Ural
Volgograd
g
Pavlodar
ys
h
Irt
Orenburg
Arkalyk
Temirtau
Karaganda
K A Z A K H S T A N
Atyrau
A
Zhezkazgan
Astrakhan
Balkhash
Aral
Baikonur
Aral Sea
S
Aktau
Chu
Zhanaozen
ar
ya
Derbent
Ku
ra
Kara-BogazGol
Dashoguz
Uchkudukk
TURKMENISTAN
Turkmenbashi
Tashkent
n
arya
uD
Am
Baku
Shirvan
Balkanabat
k
Navoiy
v
Bukhara
Ashgabat
Karaj
r
Arak
62
Gorgan
Neyshabur
Qom
I R A N
Challenges for Biodiversity
Mary
Mashad
s
Katta-Kurgan
Bishkek
B
Balykchy
a
Toktogul
Ysik-Ko
KYRGYZSTAN
Naryn
Jalalabad
Osh
Kashgar
Kujand
Kujand
u n
Karshi
a
Korug
Termiz
b
gha
Mur
Hamadan
Sari
Tehran
Gonbad-e
Kavus
Bojnurd A
trek
Jizakh
Kara-Balta
Angren
Ferghana
Kokand
K
U Z B E K I S T A N
Turkmenabat
Rasht
Taraz
Shymkent
Urganch
Almaty
Zh
Zhanatas
Kentau
Turkestan
Nukus
N
a
S e
Mingachevir
T
Kyzylorda
rD
Sy
n
p i a
C a s
Makhachkala
Lake Balkhash
Mazar-e Sharif
Kunduz
AFGHANISTAN
Gilgit
PAKISTAN
Mingora
A Visual Synthesis
Ob
Novokuznetsk
Barnaul
n
Increased river flow
Reduced river flow
Risk of flooding due to
sea level fluctuation
Reduction of ice cover
Semey
Increased productivity
of wheat crops and pastures
en
Oskemen
Severe drought impacts
a
Zyryanovsk
Ayagoz
o
Increased risk of
natural disasters
in the mountains
Hazardous waste sites
and industries potentially
affected by disasters
Lake Zaysan
Tacheng
Environmental
crisis area
Karamay
K
Kuytun
Taldykorgann
ol
Climate change
Novosibirskk
Bushfires
Shihezi
Locust invasions
Potential risk of cross-border spread of
invasive species and new diseases
Ghulja
0
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, September 2011
Karakol
Kuqa
Aksu
C H I N A
Hotan
im
Tar
He
The changing climate, especially since the 1950s,
has had a negative effect on glaciers, snow cover and
permafrost. Numerous small glaciers (smaller than 0.5
square km) at lower altitudes have totally melted. The
high altitude glaciers appear more stable and have
shrunk only a little. Today’s rate of glacier loss in Central
Asia is 0.5–1 per cent per year. In the last 50–60 years,
between 15 per cent and 35 per cent of the Tien Shan
and Pamir glaciers have melted, depending on their
location, size and elevation.
Climate change is increasingly becoming a factor defining the future conditions of the region’s ecosystems
and adds to environmental stress on sensitive flora
and fauna. Vegetation succession can be observed at
many alpine sites of Central Asia, which were covered
by ice and permanent snow until recently. Mountain
species see their ecosystems changing. Droughts, a
more arid climate and the reduction of water flow in the
rivers strongly affect aquatic and tugai floodplain forest
ecosystems.
The areas annually affected by locusts (mainly in southern Central Asia) have significantly increased. Pest
attacks in southern Tajikistan in 2003-05 halved the
cotton harvest in the worst-hit districts. They have also
brought challenges to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The risk of forest fires and of spreading forest diseases
has amplified. Scientists warn that the forests and
steppes of Kazakhstan are exposed to higher fire risk
due to climate warming.
Certain agricultural crops may not adapt to a more arid
climate. On the other hand, climate warming could be
potentially favourable for some types of agricultural
activities, including wheat production and grazing in
northern Central Asia. However, extreme weather
events may outweigh these positive effects. For
example, Kazakhstan in 2011 harvested a record 29
million tonnes of grain. In contrast, in 2010, the severe
drought reduced the crop to 12 million tonnes, almost
a record low.
63
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Ufa
Samara
lga
Vo
Saratov
a
Chelyabinsk
R U S S I A
y
ya
Tolyatti
Penza
Buzuluk
r
Kumertau
Balavoko
o
Kokshetau
o
Kostanay
Magnitogorsk
r
Orenburg
Atbasar
Orsk
Ural
Arkalyk
Semeyy
Temirtau
Karaganda
K
A
N
Ay
Trans-Asia
Balkhash
k
Gas pipeline
L Balkhash
Lake
Taldykorgan
Chu
rya
Da
S
e
a
Kara-BogazGol
Trans Caspian Gas pipeline
Dashoguz
v
Navoiy
ara
Bukhara
Sari
Tehran
Gorgan
Gonbad-e
Kavus
Bojnurd
Neyshabur
I
R
Challenges for Biodiversity
A
N
Jizakh
Samarkand
Karshi
Ysik-Ko
KYRGYZSTAN
Angren Namangan
A
An
Kujand
Bishkek
B
Balykchy
a
Toktogul
Shymkent
U Z B E K I S T A N
Kara-Balta
Taraz
Tashkent
a
ary
uD
Am
TURKMENISTAN
k
Balkanabat
Uchkudukk
Urganch
Almaty
h
Zhanatas
Kentau
Turkestan
N
Nukus
Rasht
Qom
T
Ili
Zhanaozen
Turkmenabat
Ar
Arak
S
Sy
r
Turkmenbashi
Hamadan
H
Kyzylorda
yy
Mingachevir
Karaj
K
Baikonur
Aral S
Sea
Aktau
Aktau
Baku
Ba
aaku
A
Aral
Derbent
Shirvan
Sh
Z
Zhezkazgan
a n
p i
C a s
Makhachkala
A
Atyrau
Astrakhan
64
Irty
sh
Astana
A
Aktobe
g
go
Volgograd
Pavlodar
Ekibastuz
ib
Stepnogorsk
Rudniy
Oral
Volgodonsk
Omsk
Petropavlovsk
ov
Ferghana
Naryn
p
Kamparata
Jalalabad
Osh
Kashgar
Rogun
Projected r
Kyrgyzst
TAJIKISTAN
N
Nurek
Dushanbe
a
Ashgabat
a
Termiz
Mary
Mazar-e Sharif
M
Mashad
Serhetabad
TAP Gas project
Qurghonteppaa
Korug
Kunduzz
AFGHANISTAN
Gilgit
PAKISTAN
Mingora
y
A Visual Synthesis
Infrastructure and pollution
Novosibirskk
Novokuznetsk
na
Barnaul
Ob
Railway
Projected railway
Biysk
Major roads
Oil or gas pipeline
Projected oil or gas pipeline
Oil or gas field
Coal mining
Oskemen
Mining in sensitive areas
Zyryanovsk
an
Recently constructed new tunnels
Thermal power plant (coal, oil, gas)
Lake Zaysann
Hydroelectric power plant
yagoz
o
Projected hydroelectric power plant
Karamayy
Kuytun
Projected nuclear power plant
Concentration of industrial pollution
0
C H I N A
Kuqa
Aksu
Radioactive contamination and limitations for landuse
Shihezi
Ghulja
ol Karakol
railway link
tan-China
Nuclear power plant
Tacheng
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, September 2011
Sources: Pipeline Infrastructure Map of Europe & the CIS, The Petroleum
Economist Ltd., London (→ www.petroleum-economist.com);
Resources and Energy Atlas of Russia
Habitat Fragmentation
There is extensive mining across much of Central
Asia - in steppes, deserts and in mountainous areas
- for coal, uranium, gold, mercury and other minerals. There is also the highly-developed and still
growing oil and gas industry in the Caspian Sea.
Mineral and hydrocarbon extraction is never riskfree, and the ravages of past accidents and neglect
still disfigure parts of Central Asia. Examples are
the damage to Caspian seals and sturgeons and
the high concentrations of hazardous pollutants
found in slag, sludge and tailings from uranium and
mercury mining in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These
may significantly affect the surrounding farmlands,
natural waterways and the health of people and
wildlife.
Soil compaction, reduction of vegetation and
increased erosion of mountain slopes also contribute to higher sediment formation and silt loading of
the rivers with implications for the useful life and
effectiveness of the reservoirs and irrigation canals
and the operation of hydroelectric turbines.
The improvement of national roads and the addition
of new international roads has increased accessibility to remote mountain areas. This new accessibility
has brought both additional pressures from visitors
and from business development, and new income
opportunities in terms of tourism and hospitality
and the trade of native products. The increase in
the number of people who have cars has improved
mobility and connectivity, but has also brought
increased risks to previously unreachable mountain
ecosystems, and the additional traffic has contributed to environmental noise and air pollution.
65
Biodiversity in Central Asia
R U S S I A
Volga
sh
Irty
Astana
Ural
K
A
Z
A
K
H
S
T
A
Syr Darya 5
a n
p i
C a s
Arall Sea
Ili
(70.2)
KAZ 10
Amudarya 15.4
Karakalpakstan 7.9
UZBEKISTAN
Horezm 4.4
(UZB)
Tashauz 6.5
a
Ashgabat
High water losses along
Karakum Canal
Tehran
Challenges for Biodiversity
R
A
N
Tashkent
Chirchik-Charvak 9
Bishkek
k
KYRGYZSTAN
UZB 10
(37)
TJK
JK 2
UZB 55.3
AmuZarafshan 5.3
Bukhara 5.2
UZB 10
n 1 KYR 0.1
Ahangaran
h
Kashkadarya
1.2
0.3 TJK 6.6
TURKMENISTAN
I
Arys 1
Prospective
Collector
Kara-BogazGol
a 3.9
Lebap
66
Lake
L Balkhash
(38)
Chu
S e
Baku
Ba
B
N
Murgab 1.5
Tejen 1.0
Karshi
4.2
0.6
1.55
h 13.3
Vakhsh
e
0.2
Karakum Sherabad
Canal 11.0
Panj 31.9
P
Surhandaryaa 3.4
Prospective ex
expansion
r
Kafarnigan
5.0
of irrigation Other rivers: 6.2
AFGHANISTAN
Kara Darya 4
Rivers of
F
Ferghana Valley: 8
TAJIKISTAN
Dushanbe
UZB
1.4
0.5
Naryn 15
KYR 3
PAKISTAN
Is
ssyk-Kul
A Visual Synthesis
Water-land management
Impacts from intense grazing and land cultivation in
sensitive soils or steep slopes
Ob
Croplands in the former steppes and virgin lands
of northern Kazakhstan
Mountain regions above 2000 metres
Major decline in fisheries
Aral Sea basin
Average outflow of branch
(km3/year)
15
Lake Zaysan
Theoretical average flow
without outflow (km3/year)
(70)
70
30
10
5
30
Average flow (km /year)
Pollution
3
Irrigation runoff from fields to rivers
Environmental crisis area
Aral Sea basin
Irrigated lands
C H I N A
0
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Source: CAWATERinfo (→ www.cawater-info.net); Interactive Agricultural
Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries (→ www.agroatlas.ru/ru/
content/vegetation_maps/Arable)
Over-exploitation
Water management affects water-dwelling
species, but can also affect terrestrial wildlife
at some distance. The diversion of the rivers
which fed the Aral Sea to serve large-scale
irrigation projects led to the drastic shrinkage of the Sea itself, and also exposed huge
quantities of salt and chemicals which have
devastated human health and ecosystems
across the entire region. The Aral Sea fishing
industry, which had reportedly produced onesixth of the Soviet Union’s entire fish catch, has
been ruined.
Concerns over food security promoted the
growth of rainfed crop cultivation in the
mountain areas, especially in Tajikistan. This
cultivation often increased soil erosion on
steep slopes. With the abrupt end of the Soviet
era, the people in the mountains faced sudden
poverty and the risk of famine, and responded
by hunting wild animals for meat and trophies.
The increase in hunting caused a corresponding increase in the pressures on wildlife. The
cessation of Soviet supplies of solid and liquid
fuels to the Tien Shan and Pamir mountain
communities had similar consequences –
woody biomass and dried dung became major
sources of energy for cooking and heating,
and the widespread collection throughout the
1990s and into the early 2000s of slow-growing
shrubs, such as artemisia and teresken, as well
as forest cuttings, diminished mountain forests,
soil cover and biodiversity.
67
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Spread and impacts of invasive species comb jellyfish ( Mnemiopsis lediyi ) in the Caspian Sea
Atyrau
Atyrau
Atyrau
Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan
RUSSIA
RUSSIA
RUSSIA
KAZAKHSTAN
Makhachkala
KAZAKHSTAN
Makhachkala
Tulka ( Clupeonella ) catch
in the Caspian Sea
thousand tonnes
300
KAZAKHSTAN
Makhachkala
Unidentified
250
C. caspia
C. engrauli
Anchovy tulka
200
AZERBAIJAN
Baku
Lenkoran
Turkmenbashy
TURKM.
Rasht
IRAN
AZERBAIJAN
Baku
Lenkoran
Turkmenbashy
TURKM.
Rasht
Ramsar
2000
IRAN
AZERBAIJAN
Baku
Lenkoran
Turkmenbashy
TURKM.
2002
IRAN
100
50
Rasht
Ramsar
150
Ramsar
2004
0
2000 01 02 03 04 05
Sources: Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of the Caspian Environmental Programme (2007); Environment and Security in the Eastern Caspian (2008); Vital Caspian Graphics II (2011)
Invasive Alien Species
Alien species which invade new habitats are thought to be a
main direct driver of biodiversity loss across the world. Water
ecosystems of Central Asia in the heart of Eurasia are especially vulnerable to aliens because they are naturally isolated
from strong competitors. They often have ecological niches that
have remained empty because of their distance from possible
colonists. In much the same way, mountains have a diverse but
geographically narrow range of habitats, and invasive species
may bring great disturbance to them.
Increasing travel, trade, and tourism associated with globalization and the growth in human numbers have made intentional
and unintentional movements of species beyond natural biogeographical barriers much easier, and many aliens have become
invaders. They can change the community structure and species
composition of native ecosystems directly by out-competing
indigenous species for resources. Alien species in the Caspian
Sea include comb jellyfish and others, which in the past decade
have severely affected local commercial fish species such as
tulka. Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan has also suffered from the
past intentional release of non-native fish species into its sensitive water ecosystem.
68
Challenges for Biodiversity
Biosafety and
Living Modified Organisms
The most common genetically modified organisms (GMOs and
LMOs) are crop plants which are altered to resist pests, diseases
or herbicides. They include soya, wheat, corn (maize), cotton,
sugar beet, walnuts, potatoes, tomatoes, peas and salad crops.
Supporters of GMO technology argue that engineered crops can
improve nutrition, that those resistant to drought or salt can flourish in poor conditions, and that crops able to resist insects help to
protect the environment by reducing the use of pesticides.
Critics fear that GMOs could adversely affect the health of those
who eat them, producing toxins or transferring antibiotic resistance and other genetic material into the human gut. So far little
evidence to support them has been reported. There are also
fears that GMOs could become superweeds or that they could
accidentally breed with wild plants or other crops. Plants that are
insect-resistant are thought likely to hasten the development of
pests able to resist insecticides. GMOs may help to grow more
crops and so could be part of the answer to world hunger. But
in an increasingly globalised world they could, their critics say,
help the agricultural industry to create monopolies. Detecting
the presence of genetically-modified material in seed imports is
possible, though it needs specialist equipment and trained staff.
A Visual Synthesis
Unsustainable Use and Consumption:
Implications for Biodiversity
However efficiently an economy is managed and run, there will
still be a potential risk for biodiversity. The most careful irrigation
methods, the most modern energy efficiency approaches and
energy production technologies, cannot eliminate the human
factor. And while that remains the ultimate determinant of the fate
of habitats and systems there will always be a need for stringent
protection of biodiversity.
In Central Asia this universal difficulty is compounded by the
region’s acknowledged poor record of wasteful water use in agriculture and energy inefficiency in households. Many grasslands
have been affected by the overgrazing of 20 years ago. During
the economic transition, the number of livestock initially declined,
and herding practices centred around settlements. This development led to overuse of so-called winter and autumn pastures in
the lower mountains near populated areas as the regular fodder
supply was no longer available or affordable to most households.
At the same time, the condition of summer pastures in the high
mountains improved, but the growth of unpalatable grasses
increased. The conflicts over pasture use in the near-border
areas have increased.
One way forward for Central Asia could be the recognition and
enforcement of cooperative, integrated and efficient water,
energy and pasture use as a way to serve the interests of the
economy, society and nature. Growing populations, demands for
better living standards and more water, energy and food, and
a less predictable climate mean biodiversity requires stronger
protection and consideration.
Productivity of pastures in Kyrgyzstan
Yield, kilogramme per hectare
350
Summer pastures
300
250
Spring-autmn pastures
200
150
Winter pastures
100
50
0
1950-1955
1980-1985
1997-2004
Source: FAO 2010
69
Safeguarding
Biodiversity
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Ufa
Penza
R U S S I A
Tolyatti
y
Samara
Volga
Saratov
a
Omsk
sk
Chelyabinsk
C
helyabinsk
Buzuluk
r
Kumertau
Petropavlovsk
o
Kostanay
Magnitogorsk
n
Kokshetau
Ko
Stepnogorsk
Rudniy
Oral
Atbasar
Orsk
Astana
A
Aktobe
Ural
Volgograd
g
Pavlodar
ys
h
Irt
Orenburg
Arkalyk
Temirtau
Karaganda
K A Z A K H S T A N
Atyrau
Zhezkazgan
Astrakhan
Lake Balkhash
Baikonur
Ili
n
p i a
C a s
Kyzylorda
Aktau
rD
Sy
ar
ya
Kara-BogazGol
Dashoguz
Uchkudukk
Baku
U Z B E K I S T A N
arya
uD
Am
Shirvan
TURKMENISTAN
Turkmenbashi
Balkanabat
k
Navoiy
v
Bukhara
Turkmenabat
Ashgabat
a
Rasht
Karaj
r
Arak
72
Gorgan
Tehran
Neyshabur
Qom
I R A N
Safeguarding Biodiversity
Mashad
s
Jizakh
Katta-Kurgan
Tashkent
Kara-Balta
Toktogul
Ysik-Kol
Bishkek
h
Balykchy
K Y R G Y Z S T A N Naryn
Angren
Ferghana
Kokand
K
Jalalabad
Osh
Kashgar
Kujand
Kuja
ujan
Karshi
a
Qurghonteppa
Termiz
Mary
b
gha
Mur
Hamadan
Sari
Gonbad-e
Kavus
Bojnurd A
trek
Taraz
Shymkent
Urganch
Almaty
Z
h
Zhanatas
Kentau
Turkestan
Nukus
N
a
S e
Ku
ra
T
Chu
Zhanaozen
Derbent
Mingachevir
Balkhash
Aral
Aral Sea
Makhachkala
A
Mazar-e Sharif
Korug
Kunduz
AFGHANISTAN
Gilgit
PAKISTAN
Mingora
A Visual Synthesis
Ob
Biodiversity conservation
Novokuznetsk 2000
1000
500
ys
Biysk
200
100
Protected areas
Barnaul
n
Reforestation initiatives
Zoological parks
Botanical parks
Wildlife sanctuaries and nurseries
Semey
Ridder
RAMSAR sites (Convention on wetlands of
international importance especially as
waterfowl habitat)
a
Zyryanovsk
Ayagoz
o
0
Lake Zaysan
100
200
300 km
Map produced by ZOÏ Environment Network, October 2011
Tacheng
Karamay
K
Kuytun
Taldykorgann
l
Elevation in metres
Novosibirskk
As the map (left) shows, there is an encouraging
trend in much of Central Asia towards extending the
network of protected areas and forests inherited two
decades ago after independence from the Soviet
Union - and in the countries which have recorded
little actual increase (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan),
at least there has been no loss of protection. But
it is a matter of more than the simple extent of the
areas under protection. To show effective concern
for biodiversity and forests, governments need to
improve the efficiency with which they are managed,
the enforcement of the legislation designed to
secure their future, the engagement of the communities of which they are a part, and the effectiveness
of financing mechanisms.
Source: Protected Planet (→ http://protectedplanet.net);
UNESCO World Heritage Conventon (→ http://whc.unesco.org)
ADB Nature Atlas (→ http://beta.adb.org/publications/central-asia-atlasnatural-resources); Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (→ www.ramsar.org)
Shihezi
Ghulja
Karakol
Kuqa
Aksu
im
Tar
He
C H I N A
Hotan
73
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Global Environment Facility in Central Asia
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the largest
funder of projects to improve the Earth’s environment.
The GEF was established in 1991 and since then has allocated $9.5 billion, supplemented by more than $42 billion
in co-financing, for 2,700 projects in more than 165 developing and transition countries. The GEF projects cover not
only biodiversity, but also climate change, international
waters, land degradation and other global environmental
priorities. All these projects benefit the global environment, linking local, national, and global environmental
challenges and promoting sustainable livelihoods. The
GEF supported more than 40 biodiversity-related projects
in Central Asia over the past 15 years and allocated more
than $50 million. In addition to national projects, several
regional initiatives supported by the GEF are helping
to build cross-border cooperation and efficient nature
resource management. Selected examples of recent GEF
projects and their accomplishments are described below.
The goal of the Sustainable Land Management in the
High Pamir and Pamir-Alai Mountains GEF project (known
locally as “PALM”) is to restore the productive and protective functions of the transboundary mountain ecosystems
in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The project is improving
rural well-being through better management of pastures,
sustainable land management, and lessening land degradation’s causes and consequences.
The West Tien Shan GEF project initially assisted three
countries - Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan - to
strengthen local and cross-border mountain ecosystem
and watershed conservation. The new phase of the GEF
project aims to improve forestry and biodiversity management and increase local peoples’ access to biodiversity
resources and earnings from ecotourism.
74
Safeguarding Biodiversity
A Visual Synthesis
The biodiversity of Kazakhstan’s steppes is threatened by
habitat degradation. Protected areas have a significant role
to play, but they cover only a limited part of steppe ecosystems and their management effectiveness is limited. The
GEF project is currently working to expand protected areas
containing representative samples of steppes, to integrate
buffer zones into the protected areas network, to introduce wildlife corridors, and to promote community-based
conservation areas. New approaches to ecological monitoring are also tested in the project. In spring 2011, a new
national park, Buiratau, covering 89,000 ha was established. Another GEF project in the mountains of southern
Kazakhstan that harbour more than 75% of the country’s
agrobiodiversity is assisting in conservation efforts targeting wild crop relatives, namely wild apples (Malus sieversii)
and wild apricots (Armeniaca vulgaris).
GEF’s project to sustain agricultural biodiversity in the face
of climate change in Tajikistan recognises that many local
species of plants and their wild relatives may offer resistance to or tolerance of pests, diseases and severe weather
shocks. Tajikistan’s agricultural biodiversity is important for
rural communities’ well-being, for ensuring their food security and for the conservation of globally significant genetic
diversity and crop varieties. The project is testing how rural
communities can benefit from agrobiodiversity conservation and how they can adapt to climate change. The project
catalyses international research collaboration in soil and
plant modelling and assists local communities in diversification of crops and other coping strategies.
Fish in mountain lakes of Kyrgyzstan are threatened by
alien species and overfishing. The GEF project addresses
these problems through legal and institutional reforms
in fishery management, introducing biodiversity-friendly
fishery management regimes, conserving endemic fish
species and controlling introduced species in IssykKul Lake and addressing socio-economic root causes.
Restocking of native species is another important priority. Natural pastures play a key role in Kyrgyzstan’s rural
economy. The ongoing GEF project on sustainable pasture
management in the Suusamyr Valley aims to demonstrate
how scientific and traditional knowledge and community
involvement can reduce pressure from overgrazing.
Another GEF project aims to lock biodiversity into
Uzbekistan’s oil-and-gas sector policies and operations in
the Ustyurt Plateau. The few surviving strongholds of dry
temperate grasslands are threatened by growing hydrocarbon exploration and pipeline infrastructure and the
country’s protected areas cannot safeguard the vast area
remaining outside. The long-term goal is for all oil-and-gas
operations to minimize their adverse impacts on biodiversity, including ecosystem fragmentation. An ongoing GEF
project in the Amu Darya delta region is helping tugai forest
conservation through more efficient biodiversity protection combined with community-based forestry and energy
and water-efficient agricultural activities. The recently
completed Nuratau-Kyzylkum GEF project improved
national regulations, promoted modern approaches for
nature conservation involving local communities, and
contributed to sustainable pasture, forest and tourism
development. Awareness-raising among children, farmers
and tourists is continuing with GEF support.
Protected areas covering nearly 4% of its territory safeguard Turkmenistan’s biodiversity. But the protection is
not comprehensive, the protected areas network is fragmented and planning management is under-developed.
The ongoing GEF project assists Turkmenistan in improving efficiency of the existing protected areas system and
enabling conditions for - developing a network of national
parks as part of the country’s protected areas system.
National parks are not only meant for strict biodiversity
conservation, but also for environmental education and
eco-tourism. The project covers a range of desert and
mountain ecosystems and slows threats to biodiversity,
such as cutting woodlands, draining water meadows,
overgrazing, and over-exploiting species. The recently
completed Hazar nature reserve GEF project on the
Caspian Sea coast has improved biodiversity conservation and monitoring efficiency, and helped to alleviate
population pressures on the local ecosystem.
75
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Biodiversity-related Initiatives Supported by Switzerland
The project designed to explore the potential of Payment
for Ecosystem Services (PES) is centred on the ChonAksu small river basin of Lake Issyk-Kul, in Kyrgyzstan. It
aims to show the feasibility of applying the PES concept in
integrated water resources management. The project activities which started in 2010 by the Regional Environmental
Centre include: improving the practice of land use within a
small river basin; reconstructing a water pipe-line network
and cleaning up irrigation facilities to save water; developing a biological filtration scheme for water; identifying how
many livestock pastures a small river basin can support;
and modernising a village’s access to water.
Switzerland seeks to help Central Asia’s countries in
sustainable development, transition from authoritarian rule
and central planning to pluralism, democracy and a market
economy. Its projects in Central Asia are in five main
areas: public institutions and services, basic water and
energy infrastructure, private sector development, water
management and disaster risk reduction, and health care
reform. Currently, Switzerland supports over 20 projects
in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (plus 10 more implemented
regionally) where it spends about US$ 14-15 million annually per country.
Forest depletion by individuals and business groups jeopardizes rural livelihoods in Kyrgyzstan and threatens the
world’s largest natural walnut forests. Since independence
two decades ago the Kyrgyz Government has invested
less in conserving these forests, lacking resources and an
effective legal framework. So Switzerland has been financing the KIRFOR project based on the idea that farmers,
foresters, government authorities, local communities and
business should decide jointly how to manage and sustainably use the forests. The project aims also to support
research and training and to contribute to the new forest
law and inventory.
76
Safeguarding Biodiversity
In 2000 Switzerland launched the Central Asian Mountain
Partnership initiative (CAMP) in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Kazakhstan with the aim of promoting sustainable mountain development that should lead to better living conditions
for the poor majority of mountain people. CAMP activities promote group learning and action on priority topics
related to pasture management, water resource management, integrated local risk management, energy efficiency,
conflict over natural resources and other topics. Mountainfocused NGOs, initially supported by Swiss researchers
and collaborators, involve various levels of stakeholders
from central governments to village institutions and the
general public. They often communicate “mountain voices”,
advocate interactive and open processes of policy formulation and act to bridge any gaps between new legislation
and strategies and the realities in mountain communities.
Cotton is starting to regain its importance in Kyrgyzstan.
In selected areas, it is now grown with far fewer chemicals
than during Soviet times, and organic cotton is seen as an
opportunity to enter a new niche market and to increase
incomes. The BioCotton project promotes organic farming
in Central Asia and the trade in organic products on the
international and domestic markets. The project has developed a system to ensure that organic cotton complies with
international standards.
A Visual Synthesis
Other Initiatives
There are many other initiatives on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, as these examples show. Some
concentrate on top predators like the big cats, the creatures at the apex of the food chain whose wellbeing is
essential for an entire ecosystem. Others focus on species
which are commercially important or which bestow other
benefits on the environment, like the saiga antelopes
whose long migrations help to disperse seeds across the
steppe. Many aim to help local people to recover skills
which were undervalued in previous decades and to use
natural resources sustainably.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is working in Central Asia
to develop and promote the ECONET, which links core
nature protection and priority areas with transit areas (ecocorridors) and buffer zones. Combining all three elements
should guarantee the long-term sustainability of ecosystem development. WWF has also helped to research
the possible reintroduction of tigers in Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan (something it considers feasible in a few years’
time), the conservation of cheetahs in Turkmenistan, and
Bukhara deer in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
The German international development organization GIZ
(Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
is working with governments, NGOs and academia in
Central Asia in a programme on sustainable use of natural
resources. In Kyrgyzstan it is working to encourage sustainable pasture management; in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
it is also promoting sustainable forest management. GIZ
is also supporting water resource and water ecosystem
projects, including reforestation in the dry Aral Sea. The
German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union
(NABU) is supporting wildlife centres in Kyrgyzstan’s IssykKul province. Germany’s Michael Succow Foundation is
assisting Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in planning buffer
zones for nature reserves and introducing new management concepts that involve the local population. Another
GIZ-supported project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is
focusing on ibex, markhor, urial and Marco Polo sheep.
The project collaborates with traditional hunters, private
conservancies, hunting concessionaires, scientists, NGOs
and state nature protection authorities. The project is helping to manage hunting grounds and wildlife stocks in a
sustainable way and to monitor biodiversity.
The Central Asian region stands at the crossroads of
several flyways and hosts at least 530 bird species. With
support from the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative, the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and German
Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, more than
230 sites covering over 20 million hectares of steppes,
deserts, mountains and wetlands have been mapped and
incorporated into a comprehensive Important Bird Areas
(IBAs) list of Central Asia. In Turkmenistan the IBA initiative was a driving force behind the country’s signing of the
Ramsar Convention.
Fauna & Flora International’s (FFI) work in Kyrgyzstan aims
to protect the snow leopard at the Sarychat-Ertash and Naryn
state nature reserves in the central Tien Shan mountains.
FFI helps the reserve’s staff to combat poaching, monitor the
animals and involve communities, with input from the Snow
Leopard Trust. FFI helps to conserve fruit and nut forests, and
has recently prepared the Red List of Trees of Central Asia.
The Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA) works in Central
Asia to conserve these critically endangered antelopes
in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. SCA monitors saiga
numbers, identifies poacher profiles and motives, and in
Uzbekistan has successfully negotiated a consensus and
an action plan between the Government and local people.
It aims to establish local ranger groups to monitor saiga
populations and raise public awareness and increased
support from communities for the plight of the saiga.
The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of
Kazakhstan and Frankfurt Zoological Society focus on the
recovery of saiga in central Kazakhstan.
77
Biodiversity in Central Asia
References
Main background documents:
ADB. 2010. Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources.
Kyrgyzstan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. 1998.
Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Pivnev I. 1990. Fish of Kyrgyzstan.
Birdlife International. 2009. Central Asia factsheet. Available at:
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/sowb/flyways/7_Central_Asia_Factsheet.pdf
Safarov, N. and Novikov V. 2003. Tajikistan’s State of the Environment Report 2002. Electronic publication of the Research Laboratory for Nature Protection (Tajikistan) and GRID-Arendal (Norway).
Chelpakova J. 2011. Animal world of Kyrgyzstan.
Tajikistan’s Fourth National Report on Implementation of the UN
CBD. 2009. National Biodiversity and Biosafety Centre and the
Governmental Workgroup.
Chemonics International. 2001a. Biodiversity Assessment for Kazakhstan
–––. 2001b. Biodiversity Assessment for Kyrgyzstan
–––. 2001c. Biodiversity Assessment for Tajikistan
–––. 2001d. Biodiversity Assessment for Turkmenistan
–––. 2001e. Biodiversity Assessment for Uzbekistan
IUCN. 2005. World Heritage Thematic Study for Central Asia. A
Regional Overview. Ed. Ch. Magin
FAO. 2010a. Global Forest Resources Assessment: Kazakhstan
–––. 2010b. Global Forest Resources Assessment: Kyrgyzstan
–––. 2010c. Global Forest Resources Assessment: Tajikistan
–––. 2010d. Global Forest Resources Assessment: Turkmenistan
Tajikistan’s National Biosafety Framework. 2004. National Biodiversity and Biosafety Centre.
Tajikistan’s National Strategy and Action Plan on Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Biodiversity. 2003. National Biodiversity and
Biosafety Centre and the Governmental Workgroup.
Turkmenistan’s Fourth National Report on Implementation of the UN
CBD. 2009. Ministry of Nature Protection.
Turkmenistan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
2002. Ministry of Nature Protection.
Convention on Biological Diversity. 2010. Global Biodiversity Outlook-3.
UNDP GEF. 2008. Project document. Strengthening policy and
regulatory framework for mainstreaming biodiversity into fishery
sector of Kyrgyzstan
–––. 2010e. Global Forest Resources Assessment: Uzbekistan
UNDP GEF. 2009. Project document. Strengthening the management effectiveness of the protected area system of Turkmenistan.
FFI. 2009. The Red List of Trees of Central Asia. Eastwood A.,
Lazkov G., Newton A (eds.)
UNEP WCMC. 2011. UK National Ecosystem Assessment. Synthesis of the Key Findings.
Kazakhstan National Environmental Center. 2000. State of the
Environment in the Republic of Kazakhstan 2000. Electronic report
facilitated by GRID-Arendal. Esekin, B., V. Bogachev, K. Duskaev,
A. Rodionov, N. Medvedeva, S. Daukeev, and A. Bekeev (eds.)
Uzbekistan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. 1997.
State Committee for Nature Protection.
Kazakhstan’s National Strategy and Action Plan on Conservation
and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity. 1999. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
Kyrgyzstan’s Fourth National Report on Implementation of the UN
CBD. 2008. State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry
78
Uzbekistan’s Third National Report on Implementation of the UN
CBD. 2006. State Committee for Nature Protection.
Zoï Environment Network and the University of Central Asia. 2011. From
Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: Sustainable Mountain Development in
Central Asia. Hughes G., Dear Ch., Simonett O., Novikov V. (eds.)
Zoï Environment Network. 2009. Climate Change in Central Asia: A
Visual Synthesis. Novikov V., Simonett O., Berthiaume Ch. (eds.)
A Visual Synthesis
Additional references:
Kazakhstan’s Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 1998. Ministry of
Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Available
at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/kaznc1.pdf
Kazakhstan’s Second National Communication under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2009. Ministry
of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/kaznc2e.pdf
Kyrgyzstan’s First National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2003. Ministry
of Ecology and Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/kyrnc1.pdf
Kyrgyzstan’s Second National Communication under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2009. State
Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/kyrnc2e.pdf
RECCA (Regional Environmental Centre of Central Asia). 2004.
Central Asia Mountain Ecosystems.
RECCA-ICSD (Regional Environmental Centre of Central Asia
and Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development). 2001.
Regional Environmental Action Plan for Central Asia.
Tajikistan’s First National Communication under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2002. Main Administration on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring under the
Ministry for Nature Protection of the Republic Tajikistan. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/tainc1.pdf
Tajikistan’s First National Communication under the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change. Capacity Building in
Priority Areas. 2003. Main Administration on Hydrometeorology and
Environmental Monitoring under the Ministry for Nature Protection of
the Republic Tajikistan. Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/
natc/tajnc1add.pdf
Tajikistan’s State of the Environment Report. 2002. Eds: Safarov
N., Novikov V. Laboratory for Nature Protection under the Ministry
for Nature Protection of the Republic Tajikistan. Available at: http://
enrin.grida.no/htmls/tadjik/soe2001/eng/index.htm
Tajikistan’s Second National Communication under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2008. State
Agency on Hydrometeorology under the Committee for Environmental Protection. The Government of the Republic Tajikistan. Available
at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/tainc2.pdf
Turkmenistan’s Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 1999. Ministry for
Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/tkmnc1.pdf
Turkmenistan’s Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Capacity Building
in Priority Areas. 2006. Ministry for Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/tkmnc1a1.pdf
UNECE. 2009. Second Environmental Performance Review: Kyrgyzstan. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/epr/
epr_studies/Kyrgyzstan%20II%20En.pdf
UNECE. 2010. Second Environmental Performance Review: Uzbekistan. Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/epr/
epr_studies/uzbekistan%20II%20e.pdf
Uzbekistan’s Initial National Communication under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 1999. Main
Administration of Hydrometeorology under the Cabinet of Ministers
of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/uzbnc1.pdf
Uzbekistan’s Second National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2008. Centre of
Hydrometeorological Service under the Cabinet of Ministers of the
Republic of Uzbekistan. Available at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/uzbnc2e.zip
Tajikistan’s National Action Plan on Climate Change Mitigation.
2003. Main Administration on Hydrometeorology and Environmental
Monitoring under the Ministry for Nature Protection of the Republic
Tajikistan. Eds: Makhmadaliev B., Novikov V., Kayumov A., Karimov
U. Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/nap/tainap01e.pdf
79
Biodiversity in Central Asia
Online databases and information sources
Biodiversity Indicators Partnership: http://www.bipindicators.net/
Central Asia Environment and Sustainable Development portal: http://www.caresd.net
Central Asia Water Information portal: http://www.cawater-info.net
Climate Wizard: interactive web tool developed by The Nature Conservancy, The University of Washington, and The University of Southern Mississippi
http://www.climatewizard.org
Convention on Biological Diversity: http://www.cbd.int/
Convention on Migratory Species: http://www.cms.int/
CITES Convention: http://www.cites.org/
FAO GLADIS Global Land Degradation Information System: http://lprapp11.fao.org:8080/glad_res/
FAO Stat: http://faostat.fao.org
Forest Encyclopaedia: http://forest.geoman.ru/
Global Biodiversity Hotspots: http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/resources/Pages/maps.aspx
Kazakhstan Ministry of Natural Resources: http://www.eco.gov.kz
Kazakhstan’s Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity: http://acbk.kz/
Kyrgyzstan State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry: http://www.nature.kg
Kyrgyzstan’s ecological movement “BIOM”: http://www.biom.kg/
Tajikistan Committee for Nature Protection: http://www.hifzitabiat.tj/
Tajikistan National Biodiversity and Biosafety Centre: http://www.biodiv.tj
Turkmenistan Ministry of Nature Protection: http://www.natureprotection.gov.tm
Uzbekistan State Committee for Nature Protection: http://www.uznature.uz/
Uzbekistan Clearing House Mechanism under the CBD: http://www.cbd.uz/
UNEP GRID-Arendal: http://www.grida.no/
UNEP-WCMC World Protected Areas Visual Database: http://www.protectedplanet.net/#5_44.25_65.25_0
UNESCO World Heritage List: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
World Bank development indicators: http://publications.worldbank.org/WDI/
WWF’s ECONET of Central Asia: http://www.wwf.ru/about/where_we_work/asia/closed/econet/maps/
Note: In Central Asia: Strict Nature Reserves “zapovedniks” are equivalent to IUCN category (I); National Parks are equivalent to IUCN category (II); Natural
Monuments are equivalent to IUCN category (III); Species Management Areas (botanical, zoological, complex reserves) “zakazniks” are equivalent to IUCN
category (IV); the protected zones of strict nature reserves, “reservates” and water protection zones are equivalent to IUCN category (V).
80
A Visual Synthesis
Photo Sources
Cover page: Wild apple forests, Central Tajikistan © V. Novikov
Back cover page: Nura River meandering through the steppes of Kazakhstan © A. Koshkin
P6: Agama lizard in the desert of Turkmenistan © A. Veyisov
P8-9: Horses on a high mountain pasture, Kyrgyzstan © used under license of Shutterstock.com
P30-31: Jungar-Alatau National Park, Kazakhstan © R. Vagapov
P32: Family of marmots in the steppe, Kazakhstan © A. Koshkin
P33: Desert landscape, Kazakhstan © V. Novikov
P36: Saxaul forest, Repetek State Nature Reserve, Turkmenistan © A. Veyisov
P36: Tugai forests, Amu Darya river delta, Uzbekistan © V. Novikov
P36: Juniper forest, Tajikistan © V. Novikov
P37: Wild apple (Malus Sieversii), southern Kazakhstan © L. Valdshmit
P37: Walnut forests, southern Kyrgyzstan © V. Ushakov (www.photo.kg)
P37: Pistachio forest, southern Tajikistan © V. Novikov
P40: Kyrgyz yurts © V. Ushakov (www.photo.kg)
P41: Water towers, Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan © V. Ushakov (www.photo.kg)
P45: Issyk-Kul Lake © V. Ushakov (www.photo.kg)
P46: Tulipa gregeii © L. Valdshmit
P46: Tulipa regeli © D. Unshikov
P47: Tulips field, Aksu Jabagly Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan © L. Valdshmit
P49: Snow leopard © S. Michel
P49: Marco Polo Sheep © B. Wald
P49: Markhor © V. Shakula
P49: Bactrian Deer © N. Beshko
P49: Saiga © A. Koshkin
P49: Caspian Seal © P. Erochin
P49: Desert Monitor © P. Erochin
P49: Steppe Eagle © A. Koshkin
P50-51: Crops, Uzbekistan © used under license of Shutterstock.com
P53: Dry fruits and nuts © V. Novikov
P56-57: Summer pastures, Song-Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan © V. Novikov
P70-71: Saiga antelopes, Kazakhstan © A. Koshkin
P83: Lonely pistachio tree, Tajikistan © V. Novikov
81
Biodiversity in Central Asia
• Zoï Books •
Publications produced in 2009 -12 by Zoï staff and associates for the United Nations,
GRID-Arendal and a growing community of readers world-wide.
Available on • www.zoinet.org •
Desertification
A visual synthesis
121 p. English
UNEP, UNCCD, 2011
Central Asia
A visual synthesis of Climate Change
80 p. English, Russian (2010)
Zoï, Swiss Government 2009
82
Amu Darya River Basin
Environment and Security
98 p. English, Russian
UNEP, ENVSEC, 2011
Coalland - Faces of Donetsk
43 p. English
UNEP, ENVSEC, 2011
Eastern Europe
Khaidarkan mercury
A visual synthesis of Climate Change
60 p. English, Russian
Zoï, 2011
Addressing primary mercury mining
in Kyrgyzstan
34 p. English
UNEP, Zoï 2009
South Caucasus
A visual synthesis of Climate Change
60 p. English
ENVSEC, Zoï, 2012
Vital Caspian
Graphics 2
Opportunities, Aspirations
and Challenges
80 p. English, Russian
GRID Arendal, 2012
A Visual Synthesis
83
People hunted the saiga in Moyunkum desert. Before they came on horseback, dressed in skins,
armed with arrows; then they came with guns, galloped to and fro, and antelope crowds rushed
first one then another way... the time passed and people switched to motorised raids, intensifying
attrition like a pack of wolves, shooting the saiga on the run... then they began to use helicopters to
search for the saiga herds in the steppe, and ground-based snipers racing at a hundred kilometres
per hour to pursue the animals, giving them no chance to escape. Cars, helicopters, rapid-fire rifles,
all turned life in the Moyunkum desert upside down.
Chingiz Aitmatov, “The Executioner’s Block”, 1987