Problem No. 1: melting glaciers
Nothing worries Kyrgyzstan more than the disappearance of its main reserve: water, stored in the Tian Shan and Pamir glaciers. These glaciers provide the country with water and electricity, and there are 6,500 of them across the Kyrgyz mountains, including the Inylchek Glacier, one of the largest in the world at 54 km in length. The alarm signal was sounded in 2008, when a study showed that over the past 30 years nearly 15 per cent of the volume of Kyrgyz glaciers, which now occupy just over 5 per cent of the country's total surface area, had melted. Even more worryingly, according to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), no less than 30 per cent of the glaciers disappeared in the year 2000. The main culprit is global warming and the 0.8°C average temperature increase in the country since 2000. An increase that will eventually lead to significant changes in the behaviour of lakes, rivers and related ecosystems. In particular the greenhouse effect. During the winter of 2019, Bishkek experienced particularly worrying pollution peaks.
No local solution
Kyrgyzstan does not have the means to combat this phenomenon alone, although it concerns all the other countries in the region: water from the Kyrgyz glaciers ensures the water supply of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which are major consumers, particularly for cotton growing. In the Ferghana Valley, the most cultivated area in the region, some crops have already been endangered by lack of water in summer in both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan signed the Kyoto Protocol on 13 May 2003, but unfortunately the country does not necessarily have the means to meet all its commitments. The government is therefore stepping up its efforts to create new artificial water reserves, reduce waste, reduce carbon impact and increase the surface area of national parks.
A rich and varied flora
The Kyrgyz mountains are particularly rich in flowers, mushrooms and medicinal plants. In the base camps in the mountains, you will often eat freshly picked mushrooms, most of the time with marmot meat. Up to 3,000 m, the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges are covered with grasslands alternating with areas of forest where a very wide variety of trees live: aspens, apple trees, junipers, mulberry trees, apricot trees... The lush green meadows of the Terskey Ala-Too are the summer pastures for herds of sheep or horses. In spring, thousands of wild flowers invade their slopes: tulips, irises, anemones, peonies, etc... When you leave your yurt, near the Song Kul or Ala Kul lakes, you will only have to bend down to pick magnificent edelweiss that grow in whole fields in summer. The mountainous foothills and the Ferghana Valley, where the Syr-Daria and Zeravchan rivers flow, are home to forests of wild walnut trees, which, according to legend, Alexander the Great brought back plants from Greece. In the bazaars of the south of the country, pistachios, almonds and walnuts bear witness to the exceptional wealth of the region. The walnut and almond forests around Arslanbob are reputed to be among the largest in the world.
An endangered fauna, but still alive
Kyrgyzstan is home to a wide variety of animals adapted to the altitude. The mountain pastures are home to golden marmots, whose whistles resound in all the valleys, subliks, foxes, ermines, snowcocks and partridges. The slightest hike over 2,000 metres will put you in contact with this peaceful animal population. Above 3,500 metres, you enter the realm of the largest mammals and predators, with two species specific to Central Asia in mind: the marco polo, a wild sheep with large spiral horns, and the snow leopard (also found in the Himalayas and Siberia), which can live at over 5,000 metres above sea level. Both are obviously much rarer to observe, and it has even become almost mission impossible for the snow leopard (see below). The low human density, the abundance of water and the vast spaces have also allowed the adaptation of animal species from neighbouring regions: ibexes from the Himalayas, brown bears from Northern Eurasia, lynx, wolves... During a trip to Kyrgyzstan, probably in summer, you will have very little chance of being in contact with them, as these predators have no trouble finding their food in the summits. In winter, they invade the valleys and it is not uncommon to come across them prowling around the villages in search of a stray.
A star in danger: the snow leopard
The Snow Leopard lives mainly in the mountainous areas of the Altai and Khangai ranges in Mongolia, but is found in a total of a dozen countries. Its total population is estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000, with just over 500 estimated to live in Kyrgyzstan. It is covered with a thick, long white fur with black spots that allows it to live up to 6,000 metres above sea level and to make forays to hunt even at 7,000 metres. Not far enough from poachers, however, who hunt it down to sell its hide for a high price (over US$ 15,000 to 20,000 each). This is why the snow leopard is one of the ten most endangered species in the world.
Expanding protected areas
Aware of the importance of its natural heritage, especially if it wished to play the tourism card, Kyrgyzstan had made praiseworthy efforts to protect nature within its means. There are 83 protected areas of different statuses (reserves, national parks, natural parks) covering nearly 1 million hectares. In addition, two biosphere reserves, including that of Lake Issyk Kul, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, the means to protect these reserves are still far too limited to be effective.
