From June 28 to 30, 2009, the International Scientific and Practical Conference «Traditional Forest Knowledge, the Role of Forests in Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation in Eurasia» was held in Bishkek. The conference was organized on the initiative of the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) and the Environmental Movement «BIOM,» together with IUFRO, and with support from the Zh. Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University.
The conference’s goal was to exchange research findings in the field of forest biodiversity, the role of forests in climate change, traditional forest knowledge, and international forest policy, as well as to promote international cooperation in these areas.
The importance of traditional knowledge in nature conservation is beyond doubt in today’s world. According to the renowned Kyrgyz environmental scientist E. Shukurov, peoples who have existed for many hundreds of years and have survived to this day possess an astonishing treasury of wisdom about interacting with the environment, which we, from the point of view of civilization, often treat with undeserved inattention. The traditions, worldviews, and beliefs of the peoples of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia represent an inexhaustible resource for finding new approaches to solving environmental problems; they can enrich our culture and make us spiritually and materially richer.
A special place in the conference discussions was given to forests and the pressing issues of climate change. Forest ecosystems are living climate regulators, and today they need special protection. In Kyrgyzstan, the area of natural forests barely exceeds 4% of the country’s total territory, which is negligibly small — given the country’s existing climatic conditions, up to 30-40% of the territory could be forested. In the famous epic «Manas,» there are lines in which Manas and his army get lost in a forest.
Unfortunately, today it is hard to imagine a place in Kyrgyzstan where this would be possible. At the same time, according to conference participants, people continue to treat the environment and forests as an enemy on a battlefield. This approach is destructive, and today it is necessary to integrate the efforts of not only all layers of society but also different countries and continents to preserve forest ecosystems and stabilize the planet’s climate.
The conference was attended by scientists and forestry specialists from various countries — Kyrgyzstan, Russia, the Caucasus countries, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and China. The result of the conference was the adoption of a resolution on preserving traditional knowledge on climate change and biodiversity conservation in Eurasia, as well as the emergence of a new discussion platform on these issues, actively involving scientists, researchers, local community residents, non-governmental organizations, government representatives, and all those for whom the experience of our ancestors and traditions rooted deep in millennia are of value — traditions that can give us new approaches and solutions to today’s pressing problems.
