Forests are rightly called the lungs of the planet, because they perform vital ecosystem functions. In this regard, large-scale activity is being carried out within the framework of the project of FAO and the Global Environment Facility “Sustainable management of forests in mountain and valley areas of Uzbekistan”. The national partner is the State Forestry Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The project has been implemented since 2018 in Syrdarya, Pap, Kitab and Dehkanabad forestries.

“For 4 years, our project has been paying close attention to the main problems in Uzbekistan forestry sector. Every year, international and national FAO experts hold training workshops to increase the capacity of the rural population. They are provided with scientific recommendations on the development of orchards and plantations, the cultivation of medicinal and crops”, said Olimjon Kahharov, Technical Coordinator of the project.

In December 2021, demonstration plots of the project were established in Dehkanabad Forestry with the assistance of FAO on an area of ​​almost 13 hectares, including mountain terraces, fuelwood plantations and a nursery for seedlings and cuttings. For this, more than 16,000 seedlings, 5,000 cuttings and 880 kg of seeds were purchased from FAO. Drip irrigation works were also carried out in this area. These sites serve as examples of best practices in forestry, innovation and gender-balanced sustainable forest management.

Only in the previous year, forest plantations were created on ​​1220 hectares and more than 265 thousand seedlings were planted in four pilot plots.

UzA