FAO and Central Asia to develop a forest protection programme
In the near future, FAO will launch a new programme in Central Asia on sustainable forest development, forest protection and natural resource management. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be the key beneficiaries of the project to be implemented under the FAO-Turkey partnership programme with the financial support of the Turkish government in the amount of US $ 10 million. Various aspects of the future project were recently discussed at the FAO workshop in Samarkand. Representatives of all project participating countries, Turkey, FAO Regional office for Europe and Central Asia discussed the stages of development of a concrete roadmap for the programme. Viorel Gutu, the FAO Representative in Turkey and Uzbekistan and Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia, expressing satisfaction that Turkey's experience in forestry can be used by other countries, said: “We’ve focused on natural resources in Central Asia because there is a real danger of forests and other tree resources becoming irreversibly affected unless sustainable management operations are put in place”. “By acting now, using lessons from Turkey, we can ensure that forests can continue to do their job – stabilizing soil, purifying water, and providing a habitat for plants and animals”, he added. Forest ecosystems also have an important impact on the well-being of local communities, providing valuable timber and even food products such as honey, nuts and fruits to the population. Consequently, sound environmental management practices will preserve the resources and livelihoods for many future generations. The forest estate of Turkmenistan, which occupies more than 8% of the country’s territory, include mountain juniper, foothill pistachios, tugai riverine forests and desert saxaul forests. According to FAO, Turkmenistan has a forest area per capita of 0.8 hectares, which is one of the highest in Central Asia and exceeds the world average. Existing forest areas are being expanded every year by planting three million seedlings during spring and autumn campaigns. Forest plantations, created on the banks of water channels, reservoirs, and green belts encircling large cities and district, play an important role in improving soil health and climate conditions.
