Establishment of the Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve as a Model for Biodiveristy Conservation

The project intends to create the basis for the conservation of the area's globally important biodiversity and the long term sustainable development of the area, through the establishment of an integrated conservation and local development programme, based on local traditions and capacities. It is intended to act as a model and a 'test case' for new approaches to conserve biodiversity in Uzbekistan and the region as a whole. The Project will include, under the umbrella of a biosphere reserve, both the reform of the reserve management itself and also the establishment of sustainable land-use regimes and local economic structures in the wider area around the reserve. This will improve the protection of biodiversity in and around the reserve by reducing overall land use pressures and provide a basis for the sustainable livelihoods of the local population.