Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 20, April 2002

"The landscape has become red and green. On the right hand the green hills lied, like a herd of turtles closed their shells, covered by the forests. The soil was red. There supposed to be many of animals in those forests, we just haven't seen them. We saw the hills on which in addition to forests there were herds of wild boars, several bears and, maybe, the leopards. Those bears and leopards were in our field of vision, they only weren't visible to us, but their invisible presence made the landscape more beautiful…

Under the birches the wild leek or garlic grew - its leaves looked like onion's but it smelled like garlic. When, the next year, we walked through those enormous fields of this plant pressing it with our boots - just like across a huge convivial dish - the acrid smell of condiment was in the air (just imagine a piece of meat). Now it was like a Crimean garden, where vegetables - onion, carrot - grow under the trees. Here I caught a scorpion - small and broad-shouldered like a weight-lifter of light-weight wearing a jacket of post-war fashion with cotton arms".

("Tadjikistan, 1960", by Mikhail Bobovitch; from 'The Post Scriptum' literary monthly, 1996)

There no more on Pamirs those wonderful groves, which not so long ago were for our parents the reminders of the Crimean gardens.

The nature revenges itself upon human everywhere for unwise management, and Tadjikistan is no exception. In this mountainous country (93 percents of the area of Tadjikistan is occupied with mountains) the problem of deforestation has become one of most serious environmental problems. From the bared slopes of Pamirs (practically whole situated on the territory of Tadjikistan), where the forests were removed, soil is washed away by rains and melted snow, the erosion of mountains has become stronger; landslides, snow slides, mudflows occur more often. Who would imagine that on Pamirs the sand-storms are possible. It becomes harder for people and animals to live in the highlands.

But even in these circumstances the Pamirs settlers are ready to protect the nature. Svetlana Blagoveschenskaya, one of the veterans of environment conservation movement in Tadjikistan, the vice-president of the "Kukhiston" fund's International Environmental Organization told us that she made sure of this, it is her firsthand knowledge. "It's necessary to teach people to love nature, to explain them, then it will turn out well," - she believes. The recent story with Pamirs birch in the valley of Bartang told us by Svetlana Blagoveschenskaya is the confirmation for this fact.

Bartang river arises from junction of two rivers: Kudara and Murgab (lower than notorious Sarez lake lays), and runs down through the West Pamirs. The length of the river is 132 km, it flows into Amudaria, which then falls into Aral Sea. Sarez lake both Bartang are the main water basin of the big complex of rivers. Both distant highland kishlaks (villages in Central Asia) and the deserts spread in the lowlands are situated on this river basin. All this water system constantly were used for irrigation. Spending of the rivers water for the irrigation purpose is one of the causes of drying up of the Aral and developing of the processes of desertification on the Pamirs lands.

Formerly the endemic of Pamirs - the Pamirs birch - grew on flood-lands of Bartang in large quantities. Whole birch groves could be observed in the Soviet time by tourists frequently floated by the river, the rafts were built out of it. Now the birch has practically disappeared. The basic reason of its disappearance are all the same logging. But now birch has a chance to survive that was given to it by the local people. Ms. Blagoveshchenskaya hopes that in the valley of Bartang the Pamirs birch will certainly revive.

All the story began in 2001, when after a seminar in one of kishlacks in the valley of Bartang, in which Svetlana took part as the employee of the "Saryez programme" of the "Focus" fund, people have began to help in regeneration of the woods of Pamirs birch. In Bagu village the local inhabitant proposed to plant 1500 trees, using for this purpose young growth of 200 birches, which he has planted himself not long before, when he heard from the environmentalists about the danger that threats to the Pamirs birch and to all the local forests.

It came to that in several gorges trees are completely destroyed (not only the birch, but also poplar, willow, juniper), only bush have remained there. This provokes sand drifts, and sometimes blowing dust. The same thing happens to rare species of animals listed in the Red Book. Rich foreign tourists hunt for protected animals to get rush and also the trophies. But local people are hardly want to have fun, when they hunt for rare animals. Unfortunately, for Pamirs mountain-dwellers poaching has become a norm of life long time before. Because of shortage of food the fathers were compelled to go hunting to feed children.

In the Soviet times Pamirs settlements were supplied with food from other regions. There was no agriculture, and, consequently, own food resources. The region fully depended on delivery of foodstuff, fuel, etc. After the Soviet Union collapsed, and as a result of armed conflict the situation went worse. The Pamirs population was left without any maintenance. Only recently the agriculture on Pamirs has began gradually to develop.

Now the "Focus" Fund (the employee of which Svetlana Blagoveschenskaya is) helps Pamirs population to build agriculture and to prevent mudflows, the strong possibility of which constantly threatens this area. The villagers are trained to cultivate vegetables, construct greenhouses. They plant trees to provide themselves with building materials and fire-wood, and also to strengthen aryks (irrigation canals) and mountainsides. For example, in 2000 in two villages of the Bartang valley 5 thousand of young trees of Lombardy poplar were planted (these trees grow up quicker than many other ones do). 85 of every 100 trees took roots. 42 thousands of trees were planted in 2001, and 95 percents of them took roots. Because of its form poplar is good for making posts, beams, roof timbers, window frames and door cases. The trees are grown in special nurseries.

In Dasht kishlack alone in every mini-nursery 120 trees of poplar will be cultivated. This partially will help solution of the problem of mountain forests regeneration, the experts think. When the mountainsides will be covered with forests, they will help local people to escape landslides.

The new groves will give local population a chance to get more cattle: covered with trees vegetation that is used as a forage for cattle will be able to grow normally when the weather is hot. Now, for instance, in Dasht village only few families have a ram and some hens. People don't want to have cattle because they don't know, whether they'll be able to feed it. And that situation is typical for all the Pamirs.

Another one cause of deforestation is lack of water: rivers, streams and hand-made canals drying up. In Dasht village, which can demonstrate typical circumstances in the whole region, water supply canal was built in 1933, and since then wasn't repaired. In this long period of time the canal partly has worn out, it was affected by hot climate and rough conditions. Local inhabitants had to choose one day in week for general watering of their plots. And in the winter there is no water in the canal at all.

In opinion of the experts to revive Pamir forests, first of all, it is necessary to supply dekhkans (peasants) with fuel, moreover: for the reasonable price. In Pamir villages on the average only one fifth part of population works, and the wages make no more than 3 USD per one month. They practically have no opportunity to take production out for sale: there is no public transport in Bartang valley, roads are in very bad condition, and, in addition, the productivity of agricultural cultures that Pamirs settlers cultivate is so small, that they can't sale it, it is hardly enough to feed the family. In conditions of desertification village population gradually turn to drought-resistant cultures, for example, lentil. NGOs help them in it.

It turns out, that Tadjikistan now is to should unravel the tangle of social problems (which arose as consequence of environmental ones) to keep nature clean, and normal conditions for people's life. For mountaineers it is especially urgent, as deforestation and desertification, and also other environmental problems subject their difficult life much more danger. Various ecological organizations more often should carry out for the peasants the seminars on prevention of extreme situations and what to do, if the trouble has come all the same.

The information given by S. Blagoveschenskaya was used