Community based eco-tourism development in Nuratau Mountains of Uzbekistan

This article contains content from Wikipedia. It was nominated for deletion on Wikipedia

In central Uzbekistan, south of Wikipedia:Lake Aydar in the Nuratau Mountains a community based eco-tourism project was initiated in 2007. As a result, several rural family accommodation facilities were established. In six of the lush green river valleys, in the villages Eski Forish, Asraf, Uhum, Upper Uhum, Hayat and Sentyab ten families converted parts of their homes into rural guesthouses. Located in big gardens under old walnut and mulberry trees, all the buildings were designed according to the tradition and constructed out of local rocks. Mountain brooks pass by the houses where visitors can relax on tapchans - comfortable platforms where visitors can drink tea, eat nuts or various national dishes or simply relax with a book and a glass of wine or beer. All houses have essential facilities such as bedrooms furnished with kurpacha mattresses, blankets and pillows, showers, flush toilets and good drinking water.

Due to the variety of habitat types (mountain, semi desert and wetland vegetation) the area is famous for its high biodiversity in particular its rich birdlife. After an active day of hiking, horseback riding or swimming in the lake located 30-40km further north, visitors can take a refreshing shower. Those who wish can then watch or take part in traditional cooking or baking bread in a clay oven (Wikipedia:Tandoor or tandir). Visitors can choose whether they would like to sleep outside on a tapchan or in a specially prepared bedroom. There are many opportunities, particularly during spring and late autumn, to witness the “Kupkari (Buzkashi)” events – a traditional game on horseback. This spectacle is an unforgettable event for every visitor. Tourists can experience every-day rural life; in particular, visitors might have the chance to take part in a local wedding or another traditional festivity.

The main attraction of the area is its people who have maintained many of their old customs and traditions. Guests will be able to enjoy the very personal attention and the overwhelming oriental hospitality of the hosts.

People and social conditions

The Nuratau-Kyzylkum area is culturally very diverse. It is home of Wikipedia:Tajik, Wikipedia:Kazak and Wikipedia:Uzbek communities, who have maintained their strong cultural identities despite 70 years of Soviet rule. Lying on a northerly arm of the ancient Wikipedia:Silk Road, which ran from the Fergana valley to Bukhara city via the fortress town of Nurata, the area is redolent with the past. Nomadic Turkic tribes have lived here even before the Great Silk Road was established. Later Tajik tribes settled in the mountain areas and set up fruit and nut gardens in the valleys close to the mountain rivers. The irrigation systems they established are still the basis of the green beauty of this centuries-old cultural landscape. Cattle, Karakul sheep and goat farming, horticulture as well as sericulture have been part of the livelihoods since ancient times. Additionally, trading caravans have passed through this area, which became an integral part of the Great Silk Road, for centuries.

During Soviet times livelihoods increasingly shifted towards employment in government enterprises. Without a doubt the construction of road infrastructure and electrification without a doubt improved the living conditions of the population. Simultaneously during this time many traditional natural resource management practices were lost and centuries-old institutions removed.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent loss of jobs and funding, the population has desperately been struggling with a dramatic increase of unemployment. As a result the importance of agricultural subsistence activities has increased in order to sustain livelihoods. Inhabitants cut vulnerable wood resources due to the lack of reliable energy supply. Hunting and fishing supplement the food supply.

In order to improve the economic situation of the population, community-based tourism has been developed. This alternative source of income is expected to contribute to increase the people’s standards of living and serve as a motivation towards protecting the environment.

The natural environment.The Nuratau Mountains stretch across approximately 180 km. The highest peak is 2169 m above sea level. It is located north of Samarkand and south of Lake Aydar. The mountains are the last refuge of the highly endangered Severtzov wild sheep(argali) (Ovis Ammon Severtzovi). This fact indicates the international significance of this territory. The Nuratau Nature Reserve was created in the mid 1970s in order to protect Severtsov’s Argali. The Reserve is located in the heart of the Nuratau Mountains and is inaccessible to visitors for protection reasons. A Biosphere Reserve has been planned covering not only the Nuratau Mountains but also parts of the Kyzylkum Desert and the large Lake Aydar system. The Biosphere status is pending legalization.(update needed? Jan '11)

The area contains several ecosystems: rocky mountains, lush green fertile valleys, flat dry semi-desert, rolling desert dunes and extensive wetlands, which are typical for Central Asia. The biosphere reserve is a new category for protected areas in Uzbekistan. It is intended to combine wildlife conservation with sustainable rural development and the preservation of culture. Due to the geographic location and habitat variety, the Nuratau–Kyzylkum area has a high biodiversity.

Ecosystems

The deciduous forests of Nuratau valleys are old growth volunteer descendants of fruit- and nut trees cultivated for centuries by locals. In the valleys the most common trees are apple, apricot, cherry, eastern plane, mulberry, pear, plum, walnut, and white poplar. On the mountain slopes other types of trees such as Caucasian hackberries, common buckthorns, hawthorns, maples, pistachio trees and Zeravshan archas are widespread. The Nuratau mountains are home of a variety of bird species such as the rare Lammergeyer (Gypaetus barbatus), [Wikipedia:Eurasian Griffon]]s (Gyps fulvus), Black and Egyptian Vultures (Aegypius monachus and Neophron percnopterus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Saker falcons (Falco cherrug), Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni), Little Swifts (Apus affinus), Eurasian Crag-Martins (Ptyonoprogne rupestris), Rock and Blue Rock Thrushs (Monticola saxatilis and solitarius), Chukars ( Alectoris chukar) and different wheatears. The mountain valleys attract Orioles (Oriolus oriolus), Common Nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos), Asian Paradise Flycatchers (Terpsiphone paradisi), Turkestan Tits (Parus bocharensis), Grey-headed Goldfinches (Carduelis caniceps) and many others.

Stone martens (Martes foina) and porcupines (Hystrix indica) are typical mammals in this type of ecosystem. Several types of bats live in caves and niches. Rocky mountainsides and rocky slopes are feeding and resting place for the Severtsov wild sheep (Ovis ammon severtzovi).

The Sand desert, with its herbaceous vegetation, is a popular stop over for migratory birds in spring and summer, and also an important breeding place for many species: Great Bustards (Otis tarda), Little Bustards (Otis tetrax), Houbara Bustards (Chlamydotis undulata), Black Vultures (Aegypius monachus) and Black Bellied Sand Grouses (Pterocles orientalis).Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo) gather by the thousands in the steppe each spring. Rare types of reptiles: giant lizards (Varanus griseus), Central Asian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldi), Plate-tailed Geckos (Terratoscincus scincus) and Asian Ablepharouses (Ablepharus pannonicus) can be found in the desert as well.

The Lakes Aydar and Tuzkan and their adjacent wetlands habitats cover extensive areas of the region. Important breeding, resting and wintering areas for more than a hundred species of birds, eleven of them are listed in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN): Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Little Cormorant (Phalacrocoraх pygmaeus), Red-Breasted Goose (Rufibrenta ruficollis), Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erytropus), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heIiасa), Pallas´ Sea Eagle (Haliaetus leucoryphus), White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla), Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Sociable Plover (Chettusia gregaria).

A wide range of mammals also are native to the Nuratau-Kyzylkum area; 40%, approximately, of mammal species registered in Uzbekistan. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Vulpes corsak), Jackals (Canis aureus), Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), Wolves (Canis lupus), and Central Asian Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) are just a few examples of mammals living in the region. ,, ,,,

External links

Ecotourism and rural tourism development in Nuratau Mountains(Russian) Website of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme in Uzbekistan