Sustainable forest management planning and biodiversity conservation advances in Tajikistan
22 July 2025, Dushanbe/Sangvor, Tajikistan – In the rugged mountain landscapes of Central Asia, where forests shelter rare wildlife and sustain rural livelihoods, a quiet transformation is underway. Advances in sustainable forest management planning are taking place in Sangvor District, Tajikistan – a region home to high-altitude diverse ecosystems, ecotourism activities and traditional beekeeping communities.
Recent field visits and collaborative assessments undertaken by FAO confirm that Sangvor District has the ecological and strategical potential to become a pilot site for in biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management planning. With its diverse altitudinal range and intact forest remnants, the district harbours high conservation value habitats, including of species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It also supports traditional practices such as the harvesting of non-wood forest products, pasture-based grazing and honey production.
From 6 to 12 July 2025, as part of the regional project “Improving Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry”, FAO brought together national and regional stakeholders to create a shared vision for sustainable and multifunctional forest management planning that serves both people and nature. These bilateral and multi-stakeholder consultations involved the Forestry Agency of Tajikistan, FAO Tajikistan, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Forest Institute, the Tajik Forest Development Group and local authorities.
To guide future planning, the meeting emphasized the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) tools for stand-level mapping, land cover classification and forest inventory design. Drawing on FAO methodologies, the meeting also highlighted the utility of tools such as Open Foris Arena and Collect Earth Online (CEO) for future training and data collection activities. These forest management planning efforts will support Tajikistan’s contributions to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) and enhance transparency in line with the Paris Agreement.
Capacity development was a cornerstone of the meeting. By working side by side with national experts and field staff, the FAO team helped to reinforce institutional readiness for participatory, data-driven forest planning at the landscape scale. Discussions also explored synergies with ongoing national and donor-funded biodiversity and forest initiatives, ensuring alignment and mutual reinforcement.
This meeting marks a pivotal step towards achieving the project’s regional vision, initiating national action that will contribute to global goals. By piloting sustainable and multifunctional forest management planning approaches in Tajikistan, the project underscores a shared commitment to restoring forest landscapes, protecting biodiversity and building climate resilience across Central Asia – one forest at a time.
The project “Improving Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry” is implemented under the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) and funded by the Republic of Türkiye. The project promotes biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management across Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
About the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Türkiye and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.
In 2014, Türkiye and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Türkiye’s total contribution to USD 30 million.