CEPF and WWF Central Asia, as regional implementation team for the hotspot, conducted a competitive selection process among non-government organizations, community groups, indigenous people’s organizations, women’s groups, private companies and other civil society organizations for the implementation of projects with a budget of 20, 000 to 150, 000 USD under the Grant program for the Mountains of Central Asia Biodiversity Hotspot.
As a result, the following organizations were selected:
1. Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK)
Project Title: «Advancing cooperative biodiversity conservation in Kazakhstan’s Dzungaria Ecological Corridor».
The project will focus its activities on Dzungaria Ecological Corridor (Corridor 22), Koksu (KBA KZ22), Zhongar-Alatau (KZ23) and engage with Altyn Emel (KBA KZ21), implementing four components to the grant: research, conservation, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement and ACBK capacity.
2. Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan
Project Title: «Supporting private sector and community conservation co-management in Baljuvan Key Biodiversity Area, Tajikistan».
The project will implement in Baljuvan (KBA TJK 21) and aim to foster a better partnership between Oxus Holding LLC and local people that would include trust-building through support of people’s livelihoods, and conservation education. The project will expand two forms of sustainable agriculture practice already adopted in the area (i.e. beekeeping and fruit production).
Photo: Supporting private sector and community conservation co-management in Baljuvan Key Biodiversity Area, Tajikistan. Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan.
Photo: Supporting private sector and community conservation co-management in Baljuvan Key Biodiversity Area, Tajikistan. Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan.
Photo: Supporting private sector and community conservation co-management in Baljuvan Key Biodiversity Area, Tajikistan. Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan.
Photo: Supporting private sector and community conservation co-management in Baljuvan Key Biodiversity Area, Tajikistan. Association of Nature Conservation Organizations of Tajikistan.
3. Fauna and Flora International
Project Title: «Building capacity to protect Besh Aral’s meadows, marmots and megafauna, Kyrgyzstan».
The project will focus on Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve (KBA KYR 01). It is a Key Biodiversity Area and strictly protected area and the surrounding wildflower meadow habitats. The target area is found within the Western Tien-Shan mountain range (a CEPF priority corridor 9 and a World Heritage Site) and is a vital stronghold for numerous threatened species found nowhere on earth except the Western Tien-Shan.
4. Biodiversity Conservation Fund of Kazakhstan
Project Title: «Improving the management of protected areas of the Western Tien Shan, Kazakhstan».
The Western Tien Shan contains unique forests (walnut, wild fruit, juniper, spruce-fir, broad-leaved and tugai), and is noted for the proximity of contrasting biological communities (boreal and tundra type are located next to subtropics and deserts). The area is under threat from climate change, irrational use of water, fires, poaching, pollution, and deforestation.
The project will aim to work in the following areas: resume the activities of the Regional Committee for the management of the Western Tien Shan WHS; revise national legislation and regulation to improve management of protected areas and the operation of Coordination Councils; raise public awareness; strengthening capacity through training of CSOs and local people to participate in environmental activities. The project will be implemented on the territory of Karatau (KBA KZ01), Kyzylkol (KBA KZ02), Arystandy (KBA KZ03), Turkestan (KBA KZ04), Ugam (KBA KZ05), Tolebi (KBA KZ06), Boraldai (KBA KZ07), and Aksu-Zhabagly (KBA KZ08), as well as cover 3 protected areas Aksu-Zhabagli and Sairam-Ugam Nature Reserves (located in priority corridor 9), and Karatau Nature Reserve (corridor 10).
5. Panthera Corporation
Project Title: «Engaging communities to safeguard rural livelihoods and cultivate conservation partnerships in Kyrgyzstan».
The project’s activities will be concentrated in four landscapes in:
- Turkestan-Alai Mountains of Batken Oblast, Kyrgyzstan (Corridor 7); Kadamjay District (KBA KGZ20), Surmatash Nature Reserve; Lyailak District (KBA KGZ19), Sarkent National Park.
This project will aim to reduce the likelihood of human-wildlife conflict (in particular the snow leopard) and other unsustainable threats.
The project will propose to engage the communities via household interviews and participatory modelling workshops. These community engagements will establish co-created knowledge of carnivore and prey species distributions and a shared understanding that enables conditions for future conservation. The project will contribute to build long-term snow leopard and wildlife monitoring capacity via mentoring and training in study design, camera deployment, data management and statistical analysis; co-creating context-aware conservation knowledge, understanding, capacity, solutions and action together with communities and stakeholders.
6. University of Central Asia
Project Title: «Conservation and Research of Wild Fruit Species in Western Tian Shan, Kyrgyz Republic».
The project will focus its activities on sites within the West Tian Shan corridor, which encompass 3 countries -Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The project will work in Sary-Chelek , Aflatun-Padyshata and Kara-Alma key biodiversity areas of West Tian-Shan to study and conserve fruit tree species with broad and sparse spatial distribution growing in isolated communities, for which population connectivity is crucial for the species survival.
The project will assume a combination of research, public awareness and development activities based on the organization’s research and experiences. The project is designed in such a way that takes into consideration the voices of both men and women and benefits both equally.
Photo: Conservation and Research of Wild Fruit Species in Western Tian Shan, Kyrgyz Republic.University of Central Asia.
7. Wildlife Conservation Society
Project Title: «Building Multi-Stakeholder Capacity for Co-Management of Wakhan National Park, Afghanistan».
The landscape will provide critical habitats for two of the five priority mammal species listed in the MCA profile: the snow leopard (VU) and urial (VU). It also will support the only population of Marco Polo sheep (NT) in Afghanistan. These are territories of Pamir-Alai and Wakhan Mountains (corridor 15) and Wakhan National Park (KBA AFG01).
These rare species are at risk from a range of threats including poaching, competition with livestock, disease, and the compounding effect of climate change, which is of particular concern across the MCA.
At the heart of the proposed project is the fact that enshrined in both national PA policy and legislation is the concept of co-management and equitable benefit sharing, with a particular emphasis on engaging local communities in decision-making.
Thus, the project will include to: establish and Facilitate Meetings of WNP Landscape Forum and the Protected Area Committee; establish and Facilitate Meetings of Working Groups; build capacity of DDA and District Government to participate in ILM and Co-Management for WNP; build local CSO capacity to facilitate ILM and Co-Management for WNP; management of Sub-Grantees; and Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning.
8. Zoï Environment Network
Project Title: «Supporting effective safeguards at corridor-level in the era of infrastructure boom in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan»
This project will focuse on Western Tien Shan key biodiversity areas and corridors, primarily within the Kyrgyz Republic, and partly in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The project will cover the territories of Western Tien Shan (corridor 9) and Dzungaria (corridor 22), as well as KBAs KAZ08, UZB04, UZB05, UZB06, KGZ04, KGZ05, KGZ10.
The project aims will be mapping the challenges and opportunities; dissemination and capacity building; and Network for CSO engagement.