FAO supports Kyrgyzstan's shift to more sustainable mountain management
Mountain societies are highly vulnerable to the potentially severe impacts of climate change on their livelihoods and well-being. The remote location, ageing infrastructure, poor access to information and markets and a distinctly continental climate are factors that exacerbate the situation of mountain communities in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountains in Central Asia. Assessing the vulnerability of mountain societies to provide data that can inform communities and government in developing climate change-adaptation strategies is an essential task that requires a thorough understanding of a range of technical and socio-economic parameters.
A four-day national training on mountain vulnerability assessment was conducted in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 30 January to 2 February 2024 within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project “Sustainable management of natural resources in mountain areas.”
The 20 participants representing the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, the Ministry of Water, Agriculture and Processing Industry, and the National Academy of Sciences produced maps and statistics that identified areas of prominent land degradation and critically remote villages.
“As a high-altitude country, Kyrgyzstan has been experiencing the effects of climate change earlier and more acutely than most,” said Dinara Rakhmanova, Assistant FAO Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic. “Changes in temperatures are leading to changes in precipitation patterns and more frequent peaks in temperature, causing aridity and drought, especially in mountain pastures. Because mountains cover more than 90 percent of the country, it is increasingly important to build resilience to the effects of climate change and to enable the continued sustainable use of natural resources.”
The first part of the training introduced tools and methods to estimate land degradation in compliance with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s Good Practice Guidance SDG Indicator 15.3.1 Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area. The second part of the training assessed levels of physical remoteness to estimate mountain communities' access to facilities and services.
The information generated will be used in conjunction with other SDG indicators to characterize areas according to a vulnerability scale. This will enable the evaluation of potential and actual environmental and socioeconomic threats.
“Our objective is to sensitize national institutions to the importance of addressing the needs of the vulnerable mountain communities and to encourage institutions to prepare suitable development plans to support mountain areas’ economies and conserve their environments,” said Fabio Grita, FAO Natural Resources Management and Geospatial Specialist. “The first step to achieving this is to apply an unbiased and scientifically-sound methodology to identify the underlying causes of vulnerability and assess their relevance and intensity at national and district levels. This project provides opportunities to gather national experts from different institutions to review the results of the data analyses and to discuss options for development actions and emergency interventions.”
The FAO-hosted Mountain Partnership Secretariat works for sustainable management of natural resources in mountain areas and is funded in part by the Government of Italy through the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The project aims to generate critical information to improve the livelihoods of rural communities through the sustainable management of natural resources with a focus on mountain areas. The countries involved in the project include Afghanistan, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, and Pakistan.
The training was conducted in collaboration with the University of Rome "La Sapienza”, the main implementing partner of the project.
Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ya Kyrgyzstan yanaathiri sana jamii za milimani na athari mbaya za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa kwa maisha yao na ustawi. Uwanja wa mbali, miundombinu ya zamani, upatikanaji duni wa habari na masoko na hali ya hewa ya bara ni mambo ambayo yanazidisha hali ya jamii za milimani katika milima ya Pamir na Tien Shan huko Asia ya Kati. Kutathmini udhaifu wa jamii za milimani ili kutoa data ambayo inaweza kuelimisha jamii na serikali katika kuendeleza mikakati ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ni kazi muhimu ambayo inahitaji uelewa wa kina wa safu ya vigezo vya kiufundi na kijamii na kiuchumi. "Mwaka huu, mafunzo ya kitaifa ya siku nne juu ya tathmini ya udhaifu wa milima yalifanyika Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, kuanzia Januari 30 hadi Februari 2, 2024 katika mfumo wa mradi wa ""Usimamizi endelevu wa rasilimali za asili katika maeneo ya milima"" wa Shirika la Chakula na Kilimo la Umoja wa Mataifa (FAO), na washiriki 20 wakionyesha maeneo ya ""mashambulizi ya ardhi"" na vijiji vya mbali." "Kama nchi ya juu, Kyrgyzstan imekuwa ikikabiliwa na athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa mapema na kwa ukali zaidi kuliko wengi, "alisema Dinara Rakhmanova, Msaidizi wa Mwakilishi wa FAO katika Jamhuri ya Kyrgyzstan. <unk>Mabadiliko katika joto ni kusababisha mabadiliko katika mifumo ya mvua na kilele mara kwa mara katika joto, kusababisha ukame na ukame, hasa katika malisho ya mlima. "Kwa sababu milima inashughulikia zaidi ya asilimia 90 ya nchi, ni muhimu zaidi kujenga upinzani kwa athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na kuwezesha matumizi endelevu ya rasilimali za asili. sehemu ya kwanza ya mafunzo ilianzisha zana na mbinu za kukadiria uharibifu wa ardhi kwa kufuata Mwongozo wa Mazoea Bora wa Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa Kupambana na Uharibifu wa Jangwa (UNCCD) ""Kadiria ya SDG 15.3.1: Uwi wa ardhi iliyoharibiwa juu ya jumla ya ardhi.""" Sehemu ya pili ya mafunzo ilikadiria viwango vya umbali wa kimwili ili kukadiria upatikanaji wa jamii za milimani kwa vifaa na huduma. Taarifa zinazozalishwa zitatumika pamoja na viashiria vingine vya SDG kuelezea maeneo kulingana na kiwango cha udhaifu. Hii itawezesha tathmini ya hatari za uwezekano na halisi za mazingira na kijamii na kiuchumi. "Lengo letu ni kuwafanya taasisi za kitaifa kuwa na ufahamu wa umuhimu wa kukabiliana na mahitaji ya jamii dhaifu za milimani na kuhamasisha taasisi kuandaa mipango sahihi ya maendeleo ili kusaidia uchumi wa maeneo ya milimani na kuhifadhi mazingira yao, "alisema Fabio Grita, Mtaalam wa Usimamizi wa Rasilimali Asili na Geospatial wa FAO." <unk>Hatua ya kwanza ya kufikia hili ni kutumia mbinu isiyo na upendeleo na ya kisayansi ili kutambua sababu za msingi za udhaifu na kutathmini umuhimu wao na nguvu katika ngazi za kitaifa na wilaya. "Mkutano huo ulifanyika kwa lengo la kujadili ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa"" na ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa"" na ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa"" na ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa"" na ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa"" na ""mipango ya maendeleo ya nchi za mkoa.""" Mradi huo unakusudia kutengeneza habari muhimu ili kuboresha maisha ya jamii za vijijini kupitia usimamizi endelevu wa rasilimali za asili na kuzingatia maeneo ya milima. Nchi zinazohusika katika mradi huo ni Afghanistan, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, na Pakistan. Mafunzo yalifanywa kwa ushirikiano na Chuo Kikuu cha Roma "La Sapienza", mshirika mkuu wa utekelezaji wa mradi huo.