After Soviet Union collapse the protection of nut forests regulations have slackened. The additional factor that increased threat of natural nut forests? disappearance is population impoverishment. Destructive provision of firewood, spunk of industrial wood, nuts, cattle grazing has become a constituent of life support of local people.
The main goal of the project is to decrease deforestation volume and uncontrolled provision of nut trees by organizing alternative plantings and deeper processing of nuts.
In the course of project implementation it is expected to obtain the following results:
Ecological
- considerable reduction of anthropogenic load on natural complex of nut forests that has a global importance for biodiversity
Economic
- income increase due to deeper processing of raw materials (sorting, drying and chopping of nuts and mushrooms)
- creation of alternative plantings of nut trees for rehabilitation of previous wood vegetations
Socio-cultural
- it is possible that attitude to nut forests will change (start treating nut forests differently?other than like wood source only)
- it is possible that as a result of nuts plantings and units on nuts and mushrooms processing new economic activities will be developed
Actions to be undertaken by Association of Legal Entities «Local Communities for Sustainable Development»:
1. Conducting seminars/trainings.
2. Building of Capacities of local communities via setting up and equipping of walnuts, fruits and mushroom processing workshops and appropriate training of project personnel on technology and products marketing.
3. Forestation of long-term leased land lots (52 hectares in total) with its fencing and guarding.
4. Organization of processing activities of local population on collection and processing of walnuts, fruits and mushroom and its marketing.
5. Information campaign
60 families residents of Ortok, Uzgen, Karaalmin forestry, workers of these forestry, members of ?ALCSD?, PA ?Biolam?, ?Karaalma Bagyty?, officers of private company ?BORDES. A.? in Kyrgyzstan will be involved in project implementation.
The main project activity will take place in the vicinity of Ortok, Karaalmin villages of Karaalmin ayil okmot, Suzak rayon, Jalalabad oblast and Erkintoo village of Kyzyltoo ayil okmot, Uzgen rayon, Osh oblast.
The expected benefits of the project, including environmental and livelihood benefits
- reduction of illegal deforestation in relict nuts forests
- creation of processing units, which provides local people with additional income due to deeper processing of nuts and provision of non timber products