Enhancing the conservation of flagship migratory mammal species of Central Asia through climate-informed management and decision making
Migratory species in Central Asia are highly vulnerable to climate change. As a result of changing migration patterns, protected areas are rendered ineffective. Changes in the use of pastures (extension of grazing periods and shifting grazing areas to higher elevations) are ex-pected to lead to increased human-wildlife conflicts. In order to increase the resilience of people and wildlife in Central Asia to climate change ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures and climate change-informed wildlife management will be tested in pilot sites. Given the focus on migratory species, a transboundary approach across the three target countries will be used. The implementation of pilot measures with economic potential and their integration into political framework documents is of particular importance. Comprehensive communication activities will communicate project results and measures to the public and to decision-makers.
- Countries
- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
- IKI funding
- 6,000,000.00 €
- Duration
- 02/2021 till 10/2026
- Status
- open
- Implementing organisation
- United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)
- Political Partner
-
- Committee for Environmental Protection - Tajikistan*
- Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Nature Protection – Kazakhstan*
- Ministry of Ecology and natural resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision – Kyrgyzstan
- Implementing Partner
-
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK)
- Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan (ANCOT)*
- CAMP Alatoo - Kyrgyzstan
- CAMP Tabiat - Tajikistan
- GRID-Arendal
- Ilbirs Foundation
- Regional Mountain Centre of Central Asia (RMCCA) - Kyrgyzstan
- Secretariat of Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) - Deutschland
- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Russia
- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - USA
State of implementation/results
- Overarching activities
- A model outlining the human and climate threats to the target species, and the drivers of these threats has been developed for each target site, following the Open Standards for Conservation (OS) guidelines.
- The models and the vulnerability assessments are used to identify the most climate-smart conservation and adaptation interventions to be done within the project’s framework. A first list of potential interventions has been compiled for each site.
- The developed model for the protected area and corridor was validated through community workshops in communities that are using the area for grazing livestock. These workshops also identified 19 potential adaptation measures designed to address and mitigate both anthropogenic and climatic threats to the communities, as well as the flagship species and their habitats.
- Two 2-day training sessions on the effects of climate change on ecosystems and migratory animals were held from 20-25 October 2022 in Karakol city and Bokonbaevo. The trainings expanded the teachers’ awareness of climate change and its effects on the natural resources, flora, and wildlife of Kyrgyzstan, and are designed to assist teachers to present it in an approachable manner. 38 teachers participated in the training, who have already taught more than 200 high school students through open classes. The training program covered lessons from the "Education for Sustainable Development and Biodiversity Conservation" training handbook (ESD) which has been developed by implementing partner CAMP Alatoo and was approved by the Kyrgyz Academy of Education.
- A two-day consultation was held in Bishkek on 9-10 June 2022. Stakeholders agreed on the argali, Siberian ibex, and Tien Shan maralas target species for conservation action. The snow leopard and the Himalayan brown bear were identified as species that would also benefit from the measures.
- The Naryn Reserve and the Khan-Tengiri Nature Park with the surrounding communes were identified as project areas.
- Local kick-off workshops in the pilot sites have been conducted and community-level data gathered.
- A two-day consultation was held in Almaty on 25-26 August 2022. Stakeholders agreed on the argali sheep, the snow leopard and the Bukhara deer as target species for conservation measures. The Asiatic ibex and the Tian Shanbrown bear were identified as species that would also benefit from the measures.
- The Ili-Balkhash Nature Reserve and the Zhongar Alatau National Park were identified as project regions.
- On May 11, 2023, a training session on the Open Standard for the Practice of Conservation was conducted in Dushanbe. The training welcomed a total of 10 representatives from each pilot site, in addition to delegates from the Protected Areas (PAs) and the Committee for Environmental Protection.
- Between May 5 and 7, 2023, the local partners in Tajikistan held a local kick-off workshop in the revised 2nd pilot site, Yagnob National Park, followed by a survey assessing the impact of climate change on local communities.
- The snow leopard and the Siberian ibex have been identified as target species for the conservation measures, as well as the Himalayan brown bear and the argali sheep as benefiting species.
- The project areas are the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve and the Yaghnob National Park.
Latest Update:
04/2025
Project relations
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