KGZ04 Key Biodiversity Area Kasan-Say

Area: 75 000 ha.
Category of KBA: IA



The species that initiated the allocation of KBA [and other species under threatened with global extinction, which are present in the KBA, but which have not been confirmed to meet the global KBA criteria]: Hyalolaena intermedia, Saussurea gorbunovae, Seseli giganteum, [Neophron percnopterus], [Malus niedzwetzkyana], [Malus sieversii], [Pyrus korshinskyi], [Vormela peregusna].



Availability of PA: ( none)
Settlements on the territory of the KBA: Buzuk, Terek-Sai
Adjacent to the territory of the KBA: -
Location: Chatkal district of Jalalabad province of Kyrgyzstan



The type of the KBA ecosystem is forest. Archa, birch, poplar, willow, sea buckthorn, and elm grow in the forests. There are areas with endemic fruit plants - Nedzvetsky's apple tree, Sivers' apple tree, Korzhinsky pear. Alpine region - individual peaks of the ridges rise over 4000 m above sea level. The climate of the region is continental, cool and relatively dry. Winters are long and cold. The area is rich in mineral raw materials, water and land resources.



Already in the first millennium of our era, gold, antimony, lead, copper and mercury were mined in this territory. This is evidenced by ancient quarries and workings. In the valley of the Kasan-Sai River, the largest traces of ancient gold miners in the country were found.
The conflict between competing interests - the preservation of untouched nature versus the use of territories for mining, energy or infrastructure needs - is ubiquitous in Kasan-Sai.



The main focus of the work on the territory is the protection and responsible use of river and forest ecosystems, endangered and endemic species with the participation of local nature users. Globally Endangered and Other Priority Species in the Kasan-Sai KBA: Hyalolaena intermedia, Saussurea gorbunovae, Seseli giganteum , Neophron percnopterus, Malus niedzwetzkyana, Malus sieversii, Pyrus korshinskyi, Vormela peregusna and others.



Settlements on the territory of the KBA: Buzuk, Terek-Sai
The Chatkal area of the Jalal-Abad region KR territorially divided into two zones: The upper zone, where the climate is more severe, includes the Chatkal and Kanysh-Kiy rural district, is characterized by diverse agriculture. Agriculture is dominated by the cultivation of cereals, fodder crops and potatoes. Animal husbandry is developed. The lower zone, which includes Sumsar and Terek-Sai rural district, is characterized by a more developed industrial production.



The village of Terek-Sai is especially interesting. It arose during the development of a gold deposit. In 1952-2012, antimony mining was added later. The population is a little over 2500 people. A relatively nearby settlement - the village of Ala-Buka - the regional center of the Ala-Buka district of the Jalal-Abad region of the Kyrgyz Republic - The village has its history since 1900, having arisen as a result of the development of territories annexed to the Russian Empire. The population of the village is 17,186 people (2017), the population of the district is more than 100,000 people. The main occupations of the inhabitants of Ala-Buka are agriculture, small business and the service sector.



Ecological problems:
The valley of the Kassan-Say River and the mountain ranges surrounding it are one of the 32 Key Biodiversity Areas in Kyrgyzstan. Juniper, Tien Shan spruce, birch, poplar, willow, sea buckthorn, and elm grow in this alpine forest ecosystem (in some places over 4000 m above sea level). There are areas with endemic fruit plants listed in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan - Nedzvetsky apple tree, Sievers apple tree, Korzhinsky pear tree, etc. However, at present this unique natural heritage is under threat.



Already in the first millennium of our era, gold, antimony, lead, copper and mercury were mined on the territory of Kazan-Sai. About this Swiss career and production. The largest traces of ancient gold miners in the country were found in the river valley. The place claims to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.



And at present, Turkish and Chinese gold mining companies (Full Gold Mining, Eti Batyr Terek-Sai, etc.), which develop open-pit gold in the Chatkal region, leave behind huge pits that disfigure the landscape. The residents of the Chatkal region remember the negative experience of interaction with the mining company "Eventus", which in the recent past promised to carry out reclamation work, but this was never done.
Now residents fear that other campaigns will do the same. Mountain slopes with disturbed vegetation cover become a source of mudflows in spring and autumn, and dust flying towards settlements in summer. Observations of local fishermen testify to the almost complete disappearance of fish in the river due to constant excavations and changes in the channel.
The conflict between competing interests - the preservation of untouched nature versus the use of territories for mining, energy or infrastructure - is ubiquitous in Kasan-Sai.



From the conclusion of the specialist of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic Kulagin S.V.: According to the results of the field trip to the Kasan-Sai KBA, rare Red Data Book species were identified, such as Korzhinsky's pear, a narrow-local endemic of the Western Tien Shan, all trees did not grow in the gorge itself, but in adjacent clefts. In the same place, according to local residents, a porcupine lives, we met a black vulture and a snow vulture - these species are listed in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan. The activity of the enterprise for the extraction of gold is carried out in the floodplain of the river. Kasan-Sai. The floodplain vegetation there is completely destroyed. For the convenience of gold mining, the enterprise uses the diversion of the main channel of the Kasan-Sai River to the side, as a result of which the entire zoobenthos, which serves as food for the ichthyofauna, dies.



Recommendations
The mined-out areas of the river floodplain that remain after gold mining must be handed over to local residents to grow fast-growing tree plantations and orchards. Cultivation of such fast-growing crops as poplar and willow on worked-out areas of the floodplain will relieve the pressure of cutting down wild-growing trees and shrubs, including those listed in the Red Data Book. However, all areas with planted crops need to be fenced off, because everywhere there is a strong overgrazing of livestock. It is also necessary to clarify the licensed area of the enterprise for the extraction of gold and the documentation for the reclamation of mined-out areas. It is necessary to actively carry out explanatory work with local residents on the conservation of rare endemic species of plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan.

KGZ04 Kasan-Say: Key Biodiversity Area Kasan-Say