About 180 employees of the country's reserves and nature parks were given the opportunity to expand their knowledge through a new specialized course. As a result, representatives of seven protected areas of the Western Tian Shan - Kan-Achuu, Alatai, Saimaluu-Tash, Padysh-Ata, Besh-Aral, Sary-Chelek, and Dashman have been trained on a wide range of environmental issues.

“This series of trainings is the first attempt to integrate into one curriculum a large base of areas in which the work of protected areas employees is conducted. The issue of enhancing the capacity of rangers, their theoretical and practical training is extremely acute today. And therefore, we plan to develop a special module on the basis of this educational course with subsequent inclusion into the curriculum of secondary educational institutions, so that we have the opportunity to constantly train and improve the qualifications of employees in the field of protected areas, ”said Almaz Musaev, Director of the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and specially protected natural areas of the SAEPF during the final presentation on the results of the trainings.

A total of 5 trainings on various environmental topics and 2 study tours were held from February to November. The rangers and Protected Areas staff were exposed to concepts and practical exercises. The trainings were primarily focused on developing practical skills in the field. For this purpose, trips to Sary-Chelek, Sarychat-Ertash, Salkyn-Tor, Karatal-Zhapyryk, and Naryn Protected Areas were organized. The training participants were taught how to properly keep a record of wild animals, how to work with cartographic materials, how to calculate coordinates using a GPS navigator, how to assess the effectiveness of PA management, etc.

The training module is a product of the joint collaboration of the SAEPF, UNDP and Camp Alatoo Consulting. It includes such programs as "Fundamentals of Biodiversity Conservation in Protected Areas", "Management of Specially Protected Natural Areas", "Fundamentals of Ranger’s Activities and Environmental Protection in Protected Areas", "Monitoring and Research in Protected Areas", and "Sustainable Management and Use of Resources in Protected Areas ". A feature of the training modules is that they are developed in Kyrgyz and Russian languages ​​and are ready for use in further training for representatives of other protected areas.

There are plans to further improve and supplement the training module. By early next year, it is planned to develop an online version of these trainings, supplemented by video tutorials with practical tasks. Then each ranger will have the opportunity, without leaving home, to receive theoretical training, answer control questions, and receive a certificate of completion of the course.

The trainings are organized in the framework of the UNDP-GEF project "Conservation of globally important biodiversity and associated land and forest resources of Western Tian Shan mountain ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods." UNDP is currently implementing the project to preserve unique natural complexes and biodiversity, to promote the protection of rare and endangered species of fauna and flora. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is being implemented in partnership with the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Kyrgyz Republic government. Read more about the project here.

About the Western Tian Shan

Western Tian Shan is a mountain system characterized by a high level of endemism and rich flora and fauna. The region is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. It is one of the 34 global Biodiversity Hotspots and is included in the world Ecoregion rating of Global 200, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The territory of the Western Tian Shan is inhabited by 27 species of animals on the verge of extinction, and 54 red book species of plants grow here.