Ecosystems and Protected Areas of Kyrgyzstan

Protected Natural Areas of the Kyrgyz Republic

“We, the people, will lose part of our essence if we allow the last corners of the wild nature to disappear from the face of the earth, if we pollute the last clean air and poison the last clean rivers and pave our highways through the last refuge of silence.” This saying belongs to Wallace Stegner - an American writer.

Today, 500 million people travel around the world each year for pleasure, and the wonders of wild nature are a favorite destination on their itineraries. The desire to visit beautiful and unusual places has led to the fact that there is no corner of the earth that tourists have not visited. However, with the rapidly growing encroachment on wild nature, many countries have still managed to preserve sufficiently vast territories where nature remains in its natural state.

Kyrgyzstan is one of those countries that has managed to preserve much of its nature in its natural state, but irresponsible attitudes toward the environment can destroy the fragile beauty that mainly attracts tourists.

Visiting wild nature has turned into a new form of travel known as ecotourism.

Proposed by Mexican economist-ecologist Hector Ceballos-Lascurain, this term means a combination of travel with a careful attitude toward nature and allows for the joy of acquaintance and study of samples of flora and fauna to be combined with the opportunity to contribute to their protection. A careful attitude toward traditional cultures is an integral part of ecotourism.

Ecotourism. Many view ecotourism as an important tool for nature conservation. The theory is simple.

Protected and preserved areas attract tourists. The money that tourists spend on transportation, food, accommodation, hiring guides and pack animals, and visiting parks supports the local economy. This, in turn, compels the government and local population to care for the preservation of natural resources in their pristine form.

People embark on ecological journeys for experiences that become as rare in their everyday lives as the views of wild nature they hope to see. An eco-journey involves a philosophical attitude toward the very process of traveling. For an ecotourist, a vacation in an expensive hotel overlooking a crowded beach cannot compare to the joy derived from observing wild animals in their natural habitat.

No purchase can create a sense of such fullness of life as conquering a mountain peak after long efforts. No visit to an amusement park can bring as much joy as seeing rare animals in a nature reserve.

For many ecotourists, the cultural values of the areas visited are as important as the natural riches.

Thus, journeys through high mountain pastures - jailoo, tour operators strive to enrich visits with encounters with local residents whose culture is closely linked to their environment.

The ecosystem diversity in Kyrgyzstan is explained by the variety of landscapes and climates. Lake Issyk-Kul and the Western Tien Shan have the greatest diversity of ecosystems, followed by the Inner Tien Shan, Alai, Northern and Central Tien Shan.

All biological diversity of Kyrgyzstan is presented in the table.



The network of existing protected areas includes: 7 reserves, 8 state natural national parks, one biosphere area, which includes the entire Issyk-Kul region, and 70 sanctuaries.

The total area of protected areas is 558,700 hectares - 2.7% of the entire territory of the republic.

Protected areas include only parts-islands of several ecosystems. Most areas are too small to accommodate a viable population of plants or animals within their borders.

Protected Natural Areas of the Kyrgyz Republic

Reserves: 1. Issyk-Kul, 2. Sary-Chelek, 3. Padysha-Ata, 4. Besh-Aral, 5. Karatal-Japyrik, 6. Sarychat-Ertash. a) Son-Kul section, b) Chatyr-Kul section.

National parks: 7. Ala-Archa National Park. 8. Karakol. 9. Kemin. 10. Besh-Tash. 11: “Kara-Shoro”. 12. “Kyrgyz-Ata”.

More detailed descriptions of protected areas are presented in the section "Regional Resources".

According to the prospective development program, seven more national parks and eight protected areas will be created in Kyrgyzstan.

The existing network of specially protected natural areas in Kyrgyzstan is a good basis for organizing and developing ecotourism, which, unfortunately, has hardly been utilized for these purposes to date.

In Kenya, for example, tourism brings the country about 500 million dollars annually.

In Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, tourists coming to see the gorillas leave about 1 million dollars annually in entrance fees and between two to three million dollars in other expenses.

Nepal earns about 45 million dollars from visitors primarily attracted by the geography, nature, and culture of the Himalayas.

Galapagos National Park (Ecuador) receives at least 700 thousand dollars a year in direct tourism revenue.

Economic models in Kenya's Amboseli National Park have shown that each lion brings in 27 thousand dollars annually in tourism revenue, and it is estimated that a herd of elephants generates 610 thousand dollars a year because tourists come to see them. Such animals are much more valuable when they are alive and serve as tourist attractions.