The Kyrgyz Republic, while small in geographical size, covering only 0.13% of the world’s land area, is recognized as one of the planet’s 200 priority ecoregions. This designation is due to its remarkably high concentration of biodiversity, hosting approximately 2% of the world’s known flora and 3% of the world’s known fauna.

The local economies and the livelihoods of its population are deeply intertwined with and reliant on this biodiversity and the ecosystem goods and services it provides. However, these crucial natural resources have been significantly depleting over the past two decades, posing a threat to both the environment and the economic stability of the region.

	Score	Rank	Change
Total Score – NCI 2024	54.99	91	N/A
Land Management	54	91	N/A
Protected Areas (Terrestrial)	100	1	N/A
Ecological Representativeness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	74	58	N/A
Connectedness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	50	104	N/A
Protected Areas (Marine)	0	139	N/A
Pristine Habitat (Converted Land)	79	154	N/A
Sustainable Nitrogen Management (Soil Pollution)	57	22	N/A
Sustainable Pesticide Use	21	106	N/A
Threats to Biodiversity	60	119	N/A
Threatened Species (Terrestrial)	50	175	N/A
Threatened Species (Marine)	67	51	N/A
Threatened Species’ Coverage by Protected Areas	97	58	N/A
Species Coverage by Marine Protected Areas	88	87	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Terrestrial)	0	165	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Marine)	0	10	N/A
Depleted Fisheries	52	12	N/A
Fishery Pressure in the High Seas	95	136	N/A
Invasive Species Pressure	95	90	N/A
Capacity and Governance	62	105	N/A
Total Management Cost	98	71	N/A
Conservation Culturomics	54	43	N/A
Conservation Legislation	37	103	N/A
Ratification of CBD	100	1	N/A
Ratification of CITES	100	1	N/A
Political Stability and Absence of Violence	30	124	N/A
Control of Corruption	42	95	N/A
Government Effectiveness	42	107	N/A
Future Trends	44	79	N/A
Climate Change Mitigation	44	79	N/A

Four pillars elaborated:

Land Management

Kyrgyzstan features a varied terrain that includes mountains, forests, lakes, and glaciers, which has led to the creation of multiple protected areas, encompassing about 7% of the nation’s land. These conservation zones are classified into different types, such as national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife refuges. Among them, Kyrgyzstan boasts three national parks: Ala-Archa, Sary-Chelek, and Besh-Tash. These parks are celebrated for their picturesque landscapes, diverse ecosystems, and a range of recreational activities including hiking, camping, and wildlife observation.

Threats to Biodiversity

In Kyrgyzstan, biodiversity is under significant pressure from various human activities. Foothill and mountain communities face overgrazing issues due to an increase in livestock numbers and a lack of improvement in natural grasslands, putting all types of pastures at risk—a serious concern given the population’s heavy reliance on livestock farming. Forest ecosystems are increasingly degraded by human settlement expansion, illegal logging for firewood, and cattle grazing.

Aquatic ecosystems suffer from pollution and altered water flows. The country’s invertebrates are threatened by ecosystem degradation and habitat reduction due to human activity, while large- and medium-sized mammals are primarily threatened by poaching. Fish populations are declining due to overfishing and the introduction of non-native species. Additionally, the expansion of mining activities, including opencast gold mining, oil production, and uranium mining in the seismic regions of the Tien Shan mountains, poses a severe threat to the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems, with potential catastrophic environmental impacts.

Capacity and Governance

The Kyrgyzstan government has undertaken a multi-pronged approach to conserve the country’s rich biodiversity. They have steadily expanded the network of protected areas, which now cover around 7% of the national territory, including national parks, nature reserves, and wildlife refuges. The government has implemented targeted conservation programs for endangered species like snow leopards and Tian Shan bears, strengthened environmental legislation, and collaborated with international partners on regional biodiversity initiatives.

Additionally, Kyrgyzstan has recognized the importance of community engagement, implementing programs that provide economic incentives for local populations to protect natural resources. While challenges remain, such as securing sufficient funding and addressing poaching, the government’s persistent efforts demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding Kyrgyzstan’s diverse ecosystems and wildlife for future generations.

Future Trends

The Kyrgyz Republic has developed the Agenda for the XXI Century, crafted by the State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry (SAEPF) with support from UNEP and UNDP, focusing on sustainable development. This agenda emphasizes environmental sustainability and the efficient use of natural resources, including the economic utilization of non-renewable resources and sustainable management of renewable ones. Kyrgyzstan commits further to regional environmental efforts as a signatory to the Central Asian Framework Convention on Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development and as a participant in the Central Asian Countries Initiative for Land Management (CACILM), which focuses on combating land degradation and conserving biodiversity.

Biodiversity

Kyrgyzstan is renowned for its rich biodiversity, which includes more than 7,700 plant species, among them 3,786 higher plants with significant economic and medicinal values. This diverse flora provides a habitat for an extensive array of animal life, with 515 vertebrate species and over 3,000 invertebrate species recorded.

The country’s varied mountainous landscape fosters a multitude of ecosystems, ranging from alpine meadows and forests to steppes and deserts. These environments are home to a variety of species, such as snow leopards, Marco Polo sheep, brown bears, and golden eagles. Notably, the Western Tian Shan region in Kyrgyzstan is designated as a global biodiversity hotspot because of its extraordinary species richness and high levels of endemism.

In the table below are the number of known species in several main groups, how many of these species are Threatened with extinction, and how many of them are Endemic (unique to Kyrgyzstan only):