IPSI Case Study Summary Sheet
Basic Information
Title of case study (should be concise and within approximately 25 words)
Traditional knowledge for climate resilience: Collaborative strategies to mitigate vulnerability and enhance
adaptation of pastoralism to climate change
Submitting IPSI member organization(s)“Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy (ISDS)” Public Fund

Other contributing organization(s) (IPSI members and/or non-members)
Cholpon Pasture Users Union (non-member)

Author(s) and affiliation(s)Anara Alymkulova, ISDS
Urmat Omurbekov, Cholpon Pasture Users Union
Nazira Community Development/Capacity Building Practitioner
Format of case study (manuscript or audiovisual) Manuscript
Keywords (3-5 key concepts included in the case study)

Language

English(1) The given initiative integrated the practice of community-based conservation concept by involving local
people/pasture users in decision-making around pasture/natural resources management. Collaborative strategies
of pasture conservation were developed and piloted in the targeted area by using traditional knowledge with longterm effect to improve the well-being of pasture users, while preserving and improving the condition of landresources.
(2) Community Climate Change Adaptation Center has been established to revive traditional systems and climate
adaptation strategies by Participatory Rural Appraisal approach to map traditional knowledge and practices
reducing the vulnerability of the local community to the effects of climate change, reveal the available tools ofcollective solutions for climate change, and pasture management.
(3) Degraded landscapes and ecosystems of pastures in the targeted area, along with their sustainable management,
restored to ensure a continued provision of ecosystem services.

Date of submission (or update, if this is an update of an existing case study)
3 June 2019http://www.isds.kg/ (our web-site is currently under
Web link (of the case study or lead organization if
reconstruction, will be available starting from July 2019, our FB
available for more information)
page https://www.facebook.com/ISDSFund/

Geographical Information
Country (where site(s) or activities described in the case study are located – can be multiple, or even “global”)
Kyrgyz Republic
Location(s) (within the country or countries – leave blank if specific location(s) cannot be identified)
It is located in the north of Kyrgyzstan in Inner Tien Shan Mountains in Kochkor district of Naryn province.

Longitude/latitude or Google Maps link (if location is identified)
42.04929° N, 74.98168° E

Ecosystem(s) (please place an “x” in all appropriate boxes)
Forestx
GrasslandxAgricultural
Dryland x
Mountainx
Urban/peri-urbanx

In-land water
Other (Please specify)

CoastalSocioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area
Cholpon rural municipality1 is located in the north of Kyrgyzstan on 1900-4000 m above sea level. The total area of theterritory is 52,928 hectares, of which 49,386 hectares are pastures. The total population is 8,723 people. The total numberof households is 1,624. This is a mountainous area with a very fragile natural environment, with average winter temperature-15 °C and in summer +25 °C. Pastures are mainly desert and semi-desert. As a result of excessive grazing, local pastures areseverely degraded, which leads to a deterioration of ecosystem. Majority of the local residents are engaged in cattle
breeding and exploit the pastures for grazing. Due to poorly developed infrastructure and limited opportunities foremployment, cattle breeding became the only source of income for local families that resulted in irrational use and overloadof ecosystem for the last decade.

Description of human-nature interactions in the area (land-use, traditional resource management practices etc)
The local population viewed pastures as an inexhaustible resource and forgot traditional methods of nomadic movement
and remained in the same place all seasons, which didn’t allow the pasture plants to recover, which finally led to thedegradation of pastures. Particularly alarming is the condition of the village pastures located around villages with an area of
9,500 hectares. These pastures are subject to excessive grazing, constantly trampled by road. In addition, pastures arestrongly affected by climate change factors, so in recent years, the number of snow and rainfall has decreased, which has
led to aridity of the soil, which affected the growth of pasture plants.

Contents
Status (“ongoing” or “completed”)

Ongoing

Period (MM/YY to MM/YY)

December 2015 tillnow

Rationale (why activities or policies described, or information shared in the case study are needed)
During the last 20 years, over 50% of pasturelands in the country became degraded and depleted. Increase in number oflivestock and unsystematic grazing resulted in deterioration of grass, and destruction of soil and its fertility. Local herders
almost forgot traditional knowledge and traditional pasture management, and harmed biodiversity and challenged uniquemountain landscapes.

Objectives (goals of activities or policies described, or of producing the case study)
The main objective of Cholpon community initiatives (2015-2019) is to empower local community members to increase theirresilience and adaptation to climate change through revival and preservation of traditional pastoralism practices andcollaborative strategies to mitigate vulnerability of ecosystems in Cholpon rural municipality.
Activities and/or practices employed• Integration of traditional knowledge and practices into community-based pasture conservation;•Interaction of all stakeholders to enhance the adaptive potential of the local population, including youth, toclimate change by creation and development of the Community Climate Adaptation Center;•Reviving intergenerational connections and passing traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and ancient pastoralist
culture to young generation of Cholpon municipality (young herders and local schools children).

Results••

Local pastoralists started using traditional knowledge and practices inherited from their ancestors to sustainably
maintain their livelihoods and improve their resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Biodiversity values/community-based range lands conservation issues included in local development plans intargeted areas of Naryn and Chuy provinces, particularly, 5-year plans of pasture/range lands use of ruralmunicipalities.

Lessons learned (factors in success or failure, challenges and opportunities)••

1

Participatory Rural Appraisal approach to map traditional knowledge and practices reducing the vulnerability of thelocal community to the effects of climate change, reveal available tools of collective solutions for climate change, andpasture management
Holistic approach/complimentary types of activities (trainings for herders, PRAs with participation of villagers,
Community Celebrations, information campaigns about importance of revival of traditional knowledge of pasturemanagement, place-based education for local school children) are crucial for success

Rural municipality or Ayil (village) aimak is an administrative-territorial unit consisting of one or several villages, in which
the local community exercises local self-government in the manner established by the Constitution and laws of the Kyrgyz
Republic.

Key messages•••

Traditional knowledge/practices reduce the vulnerability of the local community to the effects of climate change
Local communities and pastoralists consider the balance between scientific approach and traditional nature
management and pasture ecosystem
Traditional methods of nomadic movement (instead of remaining in the same place all season) will support plants
recovering

Relationship to other IPSI activities (if the case study is related to any other IPSI collaborative activities, case studies, etc.)
n/aFunding (any relevant information about funding of activities or projects described in the case study)
The project was implemented within ‘Small initiatives Support for Biocultural Promotion in the Northern andInner Tien-Shan’ Program with funding of The Christensen FundContributions to Global Agendas
CBD Aichi Biodiversity Targets (https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/)
The table below shows based on the self-evaluation by author(s). ⚫ and ◼ indicates the “direct” or “indirect” contributions to theCBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets respectively to which the work described in this case study contributes to.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs)
The table below shows based on the self-evaluation by author(s). ⚫ and ◼ indicates the “direct” or “indirect” contributions to theSDGs respectively to which the work described in this case study contributes to.
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