Bishkek (TDI): Kyrgyzstan has officially launched RESILAND CA+, a $52 million environmental initiative aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, reducing natural disaster risks, and enhancing regional cooperation in sustainable land management.
Funded primarily by the World Bank, the project targets major ecological threats across several regions, including Osh, Jalal-Abad, Naryn, and Issyk-Kul, with a special focus on the Kara-Darya River Basin, an area highly vulnerable to mudflows.
Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations said that RESILAND CA+ seeks to mitigate the impact of mudflows, restore forests and soils, and build climate resilience across borders.
Kyrgyzstan has recorded over 900 mudflows over the past twelve years, posing a persistent threat to lives and livelihoods, especially in mountainous and riverine communities.
“This project opens a new chapter in combating land degradation and climate threats in the country,” said Boobek Azhikeev, Minister of Emergency Situations. “We are not just restoring landscapes, but protecting the future of our populations”.
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The RESILAND CA+ program is financed through a combination of grants and credits from global development partners; $45 million in credit from the International Development Association, $5 million grant from the PROGREEN global partnership, $2.4 million grant from the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility, Tatiana Proskuryakova.
World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia, emphasized the broader impact of the program: “RESILAND CA+ is not just about the environment, it’s an investment in people’s safety, in the economy, and in global partnerships. Restoring nature helps us prevent future natural calamities.”
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Set to run through 2029, the program is part of a larger Central Asian strategy to manage transboundary landscapes and natural resources collaboratively.
