Forests of the Caucasus and Central Asia – Forest Nuts in Central Asia 10/7/2019 FORESTS Forests of the Caucasus and Central Asia – Forest Nuts in Central Asia Ekrem Yazici Roman Michalak UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section Sustainable natural resources and their value chain – NUTS 25 June 2019, Geneva

Caucasus and Central Asia Area – 419 million ha Population – 88 million inhabitants 272.5 20.0 7.0 CACAS 418.8 million ha 87.9 million inhabitants EU 447,6 million ha 513 million inhabitants 44.7 3.0 8.7 48.8 14.2

Caucasus and Central Asia Region Harsh climate (deserts, mountains), ecological damage Transition from USSR Landlocked (except Georgia) “Middle income” (oil/gas revenue for some countries) Historical pressures on the forest (tsarist time, wars, reconstruction) led to classification of all forest as Group 1, acknowledged everywhere as priority Transition was difficult with collapse of trade system and central funding for forests, establishment of new institutions.

Share of rural population 10/7/2019 Share of rural population

Forest and other wooded land share Global average – 31% Armenia – 13.2 % Azerbaijan – 13.2 % Georgia – 40.6 % Kazakhstan – 4.7 % Kyrgyzstan – 8.3 % 27 million ha of forest and other wooded land, most in Central Asia; EU – 160 million 0.3 ha for each inhabitant Average forest cover 6.5% (Georgia is an exception, at 41%) All forest publicly owned Tajikistan – 4.0 % Turkmenistan - 8.7 % Forest and other wooded land area in the region total – 27 million ha – 6.5% of land Uzbekistan -7.5 %

Varied functions: protection, livelihoods … 40th Joint UNECE/FAO Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management 10/7/2019 Varied functions: protection, livelihoods … FORESTS TEXT Protection (priority) - 89% designated for protective functions (“Group 1”) Conservation of biodiversity - 11% conserved for biodiversity Wood (mostly fuelwood, dependence on imports of products) Pasture Rural livelihoods and employment A few services: hunting, tourism Climate change mitigation (estimated)

Valuable, but under pressure 40th Joint UNECE/FAO Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management 10/7/2019 Valuable, but under pressure FORESTS TEXT Fuelwood demand leads often to overcutting/illegal logging. Need for affordable rural energy sources Overgrazing degrades forests but is often an essential source of livelihood for forest managers. Rural poverty: forests one of few suppliers of livelihoods. Economic sustainability of local forest management units is weak: inadequate support from central budget + lack of opportunity for revenue generation

Non wood products Forest is formed by a chestnut, a hazelnut, a walnut, an apple, a pear, a cherry-tree 260 species of fruit plants from 37 genera occur In forests of Central Asia about 200 species medicinal plants

FAO Regional Priorities The 30th session of the FAO European Regional Conference (ERC) in 2016 endorsed following future priorities for the Region: Formulation of effective policies for sustainable and inclusive growth for farmers and the rural population with emphasis on small holders and family farms; Help reach new markets through alignment of trade, food safety and SPS policies to meet WTO commitments and through value chain development to meet international food safety quality requirements; Sustainable natural resource management, combating land degradation and desertification, mitigation and adaptation of climate change; Addressing food insecurity and reduction of all forms of malnutrition.

How FAO supports countries Sustainable management of forests and trees species in Central Asia under climate change conditions.  Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources in the region Forest landscape restoration with multi-purpose trees and with intersectoral approach Capacity building at local level

10/7/2019 Forestry and Timber Section Thank you! Ekrem Yazici Roman Michalak Deputy Chief Programme Manager ekrem.yazici@fao.org roman.michalak@un.org