The Development Potential of Forests in the Kyrgyz Republic

The overarching goal of this study was to understand the bottlenecks and the incentives present in forest management in the Kyrgyz Republic. It focused on the legal, policy, social, institutional, and governance constraints that prevent rural communities living within and around forest lands from increasing the benefits they derive from the use of forest resources, while preserving fragile forest ecosystems. It includes a review of formal institutions and the policy and legislation underpinning forest management, as well as the de facto governance and use arrangements of communities in and near forested areas. The study was managed by Andrew Mitchell, Senior Forest Specialist in the Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank, and financed by the Program on Forests Facility (PROFOR), which is supported by multiple donors. The study was based on a review of official documents and data, a survey, and semi structured interviews conducted in five selected leskhoz areas in different regions of the country. The areas were selected because they are representative in terms of forest type, available non-timber forest products (NTFPs), community size, and level of well-being. The Kyrgyz Republic is a mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Economic opportunities in mountainous and remote areas are limited to livestock and subsistence farming. The share of livestock output in agriculture is increasing, which in turn has heightened demand for grazing land. Forests cover a small land area of about 5.61 percent but play important economic, social, and environmental roles in mountainous areas at high altitudes. They are especially important for the livelihoods of communities nearby, which rely on forests not only for timber but also for NTFPs and agricultural purposes. There is also a high concentration of poverty among the populations of mountainous areas where forests are located.