The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection ‘Sustainable natural resource and forest management in key mountainous areas important for globally significant biodiversity’ held a working meeting with the leadership of the Gissar state reserve.

During the meeting, the management of the reserve was informed about the work carried out on the establishment of the Visit Center to be located in the administrative building of the reserve. The proposed design of the Visitor Center was presented, which will reflect the main activities of the reserve, introduce visitors to the animal and plant world of the Hissar range, its ecological systems, the biology of the snow leopard, unique natural and cultural-historical objects. Presentation slides with the proposed design of the Visit Сenter were demonstrated, and its final version as well as the next steps for the establishment of the Center were agreed during the discussion.

The Gissar state reserve was established in 1985 when two independent nature reserves were merged: the Kyzylsuisky reserve for the protection of one of the best extensive juniper forests in the Western Pamir-Alai, and Mirakinsky reserve for the protection of the upper reaches and source of the Kashkadarya river and the Severtzov glacier (about 3.5 km long). The Gissar state reserve is included in the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Visit Center is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Visit centers are an important part of the work of protected areas because they:

• provide access to information on a protected area, its resources and wildlife;
• inform the public about how a protected area conserves these resources and wildlife (including monitoring and anti-poaching actions);
• illustrate how a protected area makes it more attractive for tourism;
• focus on domestic and foreign tourists.

During the meeting the parties also discussed the proposals for the development of tourist activities in the Suvtushar site (the protective zone of the Gissar state reserve). Previously, it used to be a strictly protected area prohibited for tourists.

Pursuant to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PP-4247 of March 20, 2019 ‘On measures to improve the public administration system in the protected areas’, the Presidential Advisor’s Order of February 3, 2018 and the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 1599-XX of February 6, 2018, the work was carried out to change the conservation status of three sites of the reserve (switching from the protective zone) to develop eco-tourism. By the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 94 of February 18, 2020, a protective zone of the Gissar state reserve with a total area of 13,231.3 ha was created (including 11,231.3 ha of a protective zone - on the lands of various land users and 2,000 ha - on the lands of the Gissar state reserve with changed conservation regime), including the Suvtushar waterfall. Thus, it became possible to develop tourism activities in this area.

The Suvtushar waterfall is located at an altitude of 2,100 m., and due to its snowy whiteness popularly known as ‘Suttushar’ (‘milk waterfall’) (photocredit Sh.Michel)

Currently, there is practically no infrastructure to develop tourism, neither on the reserve area nor on its protective zone. To develop the existing tourism potential, the Project proposed the following activities:

1) Site fencing - to control number of visitors entering the site, adjacent to the waterfall, and to ensure the proper level of security;

2) Creating of checkpoints:

- a point to accept visitors, to sell tickets (passes) for visitors to the tourist site (waterfall);

- a cordon / checkpoint. A construction including a turnstile, premises for the reserve’s security, who will allow visitors to pass in accordance with the acquired permits, a recreation room for the reserve’s security, a warehouse to store equipment and supplies, and a kitchen for preparing food for security personnel;

3) Construction of a bridge - for tourists’ convenience to pass through the sai (river);

4) Organization of pathway on the site - it is necessary to create a convenient path up to the waterfall for visitors’ convenience. At the same time, an appropriate width of the pathway, its coverage and the installation of fences for the safety of tourists shall be considered. Creating such a pathway will help to prevent visitors from trampling natural vegetation;

5) Organization of recreation places on the site and an observation deck – currently, visitors are trying to get to the waterfall as close as possible or step into the sai to take a ‘memory photo’. So, people gather in the crowd, safety measures are not followed, and the sai is exposed to contamination. To exclude these negative actions and to avoid accidents, it is proposed to build an observation deck.

During the meeting, it was also decided to continue work on the research activities of the reserve, together with the Project:

- data from camera traps installed in the reserve will be updated and enriched;

- software will be installed to identify snow leopard individuals found in the reserve, and retrieved from the camera traps,

- improvements in the scientific activities of the reserve through the introduction of digital innovative technologies to monitor snow leopards, such as SMART/CyberTracker, were discussed.

Streamlining the use of this site by the Gissar state reserve’s management with the support of the Project, in close cooperation with the district/region khokimiyat and with the participation of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development will improve the quality of tourism services provided to the population and tourists. Compliance with environmental legislation will be significantly improved.