Environmental work in Central Asia
Central Asia
WWF in Central Asia
Central Asia includes 5 countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Despite the many shared cultural, historical and environmental features of the 5 states, the region is a vast land of great contrasts in climate and elevation. Some areas within Central Asia are a virtual “crossroads” of species, where representatives of both Asian and Mediterranean flora meet.
WWF has been working here since 1996, and since then some results have been achieved:
- The number of Bukhara deer in the wild has increased from 350 in 1999 to around 1000 in 2006;
- The water level in the Tigrovaya Balka Reserve in Tajikistan has been restored, safeguarding the continued existence of the wetlands and holding out a chance of survival for the Bukhara deer;
- WWF has built up close government contacts within the five countries. This is an important imperative for establishing the cross-border Econet;
- Considerable reduction in the poaching of the leopard’s prey and greatly increased appreciation of the local population for the leopard as the national icon;
- A compensation programme has been set up - now farmers receive compensation when they lose cattle to leopards;
- The number of leopards has increased and become stable.
Contact
Masha Vinokurova
Communications officer
Programme Office,
Moscow (RU)
T: +7 495 7270939
Olga Pereladova
Head of WWF Central Asian Programme,
Programme Office,
Moscow (RU)
T: +7 495 7270939
Since WWF started its saiga project in 2003, the population of the species in Betpakdala has grown from 2000 to 16800.
After bringing up bukhara deer, WWF releases them in areas where they became extinct.
