Project Detail

Agrobiodiversity of Alatau (Conservation and restoration of wild apple forests in the Zailijskij-Alatau's foothills (working name: Agrobiodiversity Alatau)

Now the apple forests of the Zailijskij-Alatau are represented with three wild species of apple tree: Malus sieversii, M. kirghisorum and M. niedzwetzkyana. Among them, M. sieversii included in Red Data Book, is most widely spread, forming large phytocenosae in the bottom of the Northern slope of the Zailijskij-Alatau. Earlier, wild apple trees were much more widely distributed in the steppe zone of the Zailijskij-Alatau Mountains. However, now the numbers of apple trees are extremely reduced as a result of many years' felling of precious wood by local people and using apple forests as pastures. Also apple trees suffer from hay-making, soil ploughing for vegetable cultivation or house-building. The wild forests of the Zailijskij-Alatau Mountains are of great biocenotical and genetic- selection importance. It was no accident, that the region of Zailijskij-Alatau specified as an Original Genetic Centre of the World. During thousands years, surviving wild apple-trees were adapting to

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severe mountain ecological conditions, so they became a reliable and high-quality original botanical-geographical and genetic-selection material.

Project tasks:
1. Involvement of a local population in resolving of problems related to conservation and restoration of wild apple forests in the Zailijskij-Alatau's foothills.
2. Development of a sustainable eco-friendly manufacture of high quality natural apple vinegar with the purpose of new work places creation for the local population. The natural apple vinegar has curative properties as it prepared from natural apple juice with use of microbiological leaven, extracted from rotten fruits of wild apple trees of the Zailijskij-Alatau's foothills.
3. Ecological education of the population.

While vinegar production the unique technology using the microorganisms extracted from rotten fruits of wild apple-trees of the Large Almaty Gorge of the Zailijskij-Alatau Mountains will be used. Just a several rotten fruits of wild apple trees were used for development of the microbilogical leaven. Therefore, the present technology does not require using of many fruits of wild apple trees.

Local population of the villages Kamenka, Krasnyij Vostok, Zhana Turmys, Vtoraya Pyatyletka, Baganashyl will be actively involved into the project activities. A number of activities will be implemented with participation of the local population: (i) determination of a territory for seedlings planting, taking into consideration an assessment of scientific experts concerning of current conditions of the wild orchards on the project?s territory; (ii) carrying out the seedlings planting at the determined territory and create the micro-nursery at the territory of children camp "Science", etc. Through local authorities a tradition of trees planting by newly-married couples, parents and other in connection with holiday events will be revived.

Ecological education of the population will include propagation of wild apple orchards preservation, use of alternate sources of energy by local inhabitants, increasing of local people?s awareness with regard to careful attitude to the nature through conducting of cultural measures, involvement of local population in a process of decision making for improving of local ecological situation, arranging of ecological actions with participation of local people and children (creation of micro-nursery at the territory of children camp ?Science?, looking after seedlings in quarantine nurseries and reserves of Almaty oblast, seedlings re-introduction in the places of their natural residence).

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

ACCA

Country:

Kazakhstan

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 1

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 21,744.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 13,450.00

Project Number:

KAZ/98/01

Start Date:

4/1998

End Date:

4/2001

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Airing of video items about the project on local TV channels, site visits to the project territory by UNDP, UN Department of Public Information, UNDP RBEC representatives, involving the local community in planting wild apple trees in the mountain foothills, distributing leaflets about environmental problems and projectactivities among potential donors, mass-media, NGOs.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Children's home will have income from the cultivation and sale of apple seedlings, and from the returns on the credit given to a private company to establish and expand the apple vinegar production, creation of additional workplaces at the natural apple vinegar plant.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

Involvement of children's home in planting wild apple seedlings, creating apple tree nurseries and project expansion activities; NGO cooperation with a private company to develop a sustainable eco-friendly industry to produce apple vinegar

Capacity - Building Component

Seminars for children on the importance of conserving and restoring the wild apple trees, training the children in the gardening and planting methods for apple seedlings, holding a course for older boys on tractor operations, conducting seminars and training sessions for the local community to encourage renewable energy utilization and conservation of wild orchards.

Project Results

The project demonstrated a success example of cooperation between a NGO, commercial entity and initiative group in mitigation of environmental problems.

The NGO managed to ensure significant support from various donors on the base of oblast orphanage No. 1. The success is impressive and deserves close attention so that it could be replicated in other regions.

The degree of local population?s involvement into project activities was relatively high. School students and teachers as well as cottagers, farmers and other interested groups participated in the project. Besides, to raise awareness of the local population about the problem 5 trainings and 14 lectures were conducted; ?ecological education covered about 700 people.

Project?s information campaign considering the amount of publications, number of TV broadcasts can be considered a success. Materials about the project and the issues it addressed were published in newspapers and scientific periodicals; 4 project reportages were shown on two TV channels. 600 brochures in English and Russian, 300 wall calendars and leaflets on the necessity of wild apple trees protection were distributed among local population and other interested groups. One documentary ?Mountains without apple-trees? was taped as well. Reportages and publications in mass media formed project?s positive image and strengthened its institutional positions in donor community.

In the economic sense project implementation resulted in set up and development of apple vinegar production. In particular 100 people and 12 farms were involved in provision of raw material. Vinegar production employed 17 people. Alma-Ata Ltd sells up to 8000 bottles of apple vinegar (per month) in 8 cities of Kazakhstan.

The project endowed into conservation and rehabilitation of the wild apple trees: 4500 seedling of Siverse wild apple tree were planted with active support of the local population, 2 wild apple seedling nurseries were created; presently they produce up to 10000 Siverse apple-tree seedlings a year.

In the course of project implementation the potential of oblast orphanage No. 1 in independent provision of vegetables and fruit was improved. Besides, ASSA NGO facilitated provision of material help from donor organizations thus life-support for the vulnerable social layer such as rural orphans was incorporated as one of project?s social aspects. The experience gained within the project?s framework, that is conservation and rehabilitation of wild apple trees and utilization of their fruit can be of use for local population, in particular gardeners, cottagers, agricultural workers and other interested groups.

Project executors managed to establish quite fruitful cooperation with government bodies of all levels: from local authorities to the Government. They have familiarized representatives of Ministry of natural resources and environment protection and Ministry of agriculture with the project. Locally meetings were conducted with representatives of oblast and district akimats. Administration of Ile-Alatau national park and ?Nauka? pioneer camp provided practical assistance by allocating territory for planting works.

The project's experience can be used while the big GEF/UNDP Agrobiodiversity project implementation in KAzakhstan in the sense of NGOs and local communitites contribution into biodiversity conservation measures.

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