The main reasons of environmental threats in National Nature Park ?Karashoro? and its buffer zone are intensive cutting down of wood-bushes vegetations on flanks of hill, over cattle pasturing and as a result is soil degradation.
Illegal deforestation can not be stopped by forbidden and retributive measures because local people do not have other source of wood for heating and timber. For example 1829 $ was imposed as a fine for illegal deforestation but it does not stop people. The cattle pasturing in protected zone is forbidden too but the population continuing to pasturing their cattle and any fine is not even imposed for it.
The main goal of the project is creation of alternative plantation of trees in 100 hectares buffer zone for conservation of natural forest in National Park Karashoro by involving communities of Kyzylcharba, Salamalyk, Akterek, Kosheterek, Kyzylbayrak villages and organizing community based patrol, implementation of pasture rotation schemes providing local people alternative livelihood against the poaching and illegal tree cutting.
Ecological
- considerable decreasing manmade pressure on natural juniper and spruce forests
- The land erosion and degradation tempos decreasing in buffer zone of National Nature Park ?Karashoro?
Economic
-the local people receive opportunity to diversify their economic activity, it can lead to increasing of common incomes and to decreasing of incomes from cattle breeding
Socio-cultural or political
- interaction between population, NGO and administration of National Nature Park ?Karashoro?
becomes stronger
-it is possible the pasture circulation will change traditional extensive cattle breeding
Actions to be undertaken by Public Foundation «Eco-Oy»:
1.Conducting seminars and round tables.
2.Establishing community based nursery forest.
3.Fencing the planting territory.
4.Planting fast growing trees in 100 hectares land.
5.Taking care for saplings and distribute lots among the local population.
6.Organizing workshop for processing non-timber forest products.
7.Organizing community-based patrols.
8.Publishing brochure and poster.
9.Information campaign
More than 50 families will be attracted for project activity from Salamalik Ayil Okmotu, 4 family associations, NGOs members, specialists of National Nature Park ?Karashoro? and Uzgen forestry.
Main activities will be under way in Osh oblast, Uzgen region, Salamalik Ayil Okmot, Kyzylcharba, Salamalik, Akterek, Kosheter, Kyzylbayrak, Karakol villages on south-west mountainside of Fergana range.
The expected benefits of the project, including environmental and livelihood benefits
Ecological
-planting of wood-bushes vegetations will go with plantings species included into Red Book of Kyrgyzstan, it is lead to reproduction and increasing of these species.
-Decreasing of manmade load on National Park ?Karashoro? territory will influence on habitat rehabilitation of species included into Red Book. This decreasing will be result of appearing of alternative wood-bushes vegetations and controllable cattle pasturing on the outside territories of ?Karashoro? National Park.
Leconomic benefits
-new economic activities will appeared additional to traditional cattle breeding and plant cultivation, such as: tree-bushes fruits processing, processing of mushrooms, berries, herbal and saplings selling
-opportunity to receive wood on own plots without risk to conflict with National Park administration