Natural Hazard Risk Management for Transport Infrastructure in Kyrgyzstan. Focus Avalanche Protection Forest. Summary Report: Avalanche Protection Forest in Kyrgyzstan
Protection forests are a highly-valued component of risk management strategies in mountainous countries. They serve as avalanche mitigation measure for settlements and transport infrastructure and play a significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, inter alia, in contributing to goals of REDD. Moreover, compared to technical construction measures, the establishment and management of protection forests are a sustainable and cost efficient option against natural hazards such as avalanche, rockfall and landslides. The Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW) has a long tradition in forest related research and natural hazard management. It combines research, monitoring and also training activities. One of its objectives is to strengthen its international activities and
support capacity building in partner countries. The project Natural Hazard Risk Management for Transport Infrastructure in the Kyrgyz Republic (AvaProForest) is an excellent example of these bilateral cooperation
activities. The project aimed at contributing to sustainable natural hazard management along transportations corridors in the Kyrgyz Republic by introducing the concept of protection forests to forest and natural hazard
experts. While it was not without challenges the results of the project demonstrate the benefit of increased know how in a sparsely forested country like the Kyrgyz Republic where only limited knowledge of the concept of protection forests existed. We believe that the project AvaProForest contributed to initiating sustainable risk
management methods in the project area of the Kyrgyz Republic. By introducing green protection measures we encouraged local experts to consider this measure in the future as an alternative to traditional methods. To
guarantee long-term development, we have paid particular attention to designing a needsbased and sustainable methodology and to strengthen educational institutions and building expert capacity. Therefore, we are proud to say that the project activities have raised the awareness of climate change, increased the interest and trust in a
mitigation measure already now and will show its full protective effect in several years’ time.
