BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 26. Kyrgyzstan is set to receive over $3.061 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund for Integrated Water Resources Management to Restore Agro-Woodlands in the Syr Darya River Basin project, a source at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told Trend.
This funding is part of the Central Asia Water and Land Nexus (CAWLN) program, implemented by the FAO and supported by the GEF Trust Fund. Through this initiative, the GEF will finance projects totaling $26.007 million across Central Asia, with total project co-financing of $335.504 million. The program commitment deadline is 31 August 2025.
The program aims to restore 5,350 hectares of land and ecosystems, implementing improved practices on 1.329, million hectares of landscapes. It also seeks to mitigate 11.118 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions and improve the cooperative management of two shared ecosystems. Additionally, the program is expected to directly benefit 487,000 people, including 252,000 men and 235,000 women.
It was noted that Central Asia hosts some of the world's most intricate river systems, including the Amu Darya Basin (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and the Syr Darya Basin (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan). These basins are essential water sources for five countries, supporting approximately 60 million people, agriculture, energy production, and various ecosystems and livelihoods. However, they face challenges such as water over-extraction, harmful land practices, and resource overuse.
The CAWLN program aims to tackle these challenges by promoting water-land nexus approaches and implementing them in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins.
The program consists of seven projects, including national ones in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These projects aim to improve farming and natural resource management by tackling issues like deforestation, land degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, there's a regional project to coordinate efforts and share knowledge across the basins.
Although Tajikistan won't have its own project, the CAWLN program will work with the GEF Tajikistan Ecosystem Restoration and Resilient Agriculture project to collaborate and achieve greater impact.
