Nature Foundation

The Nature Foundation is an NGO working on conserving birds and their habitats. It was created in 2024 by a team of scientists, environmental policy specialists, and sustainable development experts to integrate biodiversity conservation and community economic development and empowerment.

The organization relies on a vast pool of volunteers called for specific projects, and has a solid network of experts called in when required. The Foundation emphasizes collaboration and cooperation with all stakeholders: public institutions (local and national), community-led initiatives, other conservation groups, academia, and citizens.

The Nature Foundation is a founding member of the Central Asian Flyway Conservation Network. The network aims to foster cooperation for the conservation of birds along the flyway, through the development of synergies between organizations, the implementation of transboundary projects, information sharing, and transboundary capacity building.

Focus Area(s)

The Nature Foundation is working in four different sectors:

• Research and monitoring:  study targeted species, habitats, and genus to inform conservation policies. Current focuses: Egyptian Vulture, Sylvia genus migration, Bean Goose migration,n and Peatlands

•  Creation and conservation of protected areas: development of the community-led micro-reserves of Yntymak and Ak-Bulun in Issyk-Kul oblast. Support to the creation of the reserve of Maki (chuy oblast). Training of park rangers and ministry staff.

• Citizen Science: development of a partnership with Ebird to release the apps Merlin and Ebird in Kyrgyz, to create a dedicated portal for Kyrgyzstan on ebird.org, and to organize mass citizen science projects and activities

• Empowerment of communities for conservation: transversal to all other areas of work, the empowerment of communities consists of engaging in economic development activities in underserved communities and social groups located near hotspots of biodiversity. The aim is to reconnect communities to their environment and help them transition from extractive and low-income generative economic activities to conservation-focused and higher-income-generating activities. 

Method(s) Used to Achieve Objectives

The Nature Foundation has a strong focus on capacity building:

• Students: training the next generation of conservationists
• Communities: for wildlife conservation and business development
• Protected areas: for bird monitoring and conservation
• Public institutions: to integrate biodiversity conservation in public policies and planning

Awareness of nature is very low in Kyrgyzstan. The Nature Foundation aims to improve citizens' awareness of the diversity of wildlife in the country, encourage birdwatching, and raise awareness of key stakeholders on threats and solutions to protect wildlife.

Bird counts and bird banding for data collection.

Project(s)

• Creation of the Ornithological Reserve of Ak-Bulun. NF is supporting the community-led micro-reserve of Ak-Bulun, Issyk-Kul, providing scientific and technical support to the local conservation partners (ecoTabiat), and supporting economic development around perma-agriculture, wool transformation, handicraft, ecotourism

• Support to the creation of the ornithological reserve of Yntymak. NF is engaged with its partner CAMP Alatoo to create this critically needed protected area in East-Issyk-Kul. NF provides ecological monitoring, zoning and land management expertise, and economic development activities centered on dairy transformation, agroforestry, and ecotourism.

• Creation of Ebird-Kyrgyzstan. Translation of Merlin and Ebird in Kyrgyz, opening of a platform in Kyrgyz, Russia,n and English for citizen science and ornithology, organization of citizen science project for amateur bird watchers, improvement of the Ebird filter and data-set in Kyrgyzstan

• Study of the migration of passerines of the genus Sylvia:  this project tries to determine the migration path of these passerines, whether to South Asia or East Africa

• Study of the wintering population of Taiga Bean Goose in Central Asia to provide information to the Goose Management Platform of AEWA. Mainly desk data compilation and development of a monitoring protocol with neighboring countries.

• Study of the occurrence of Nsaids and bait poisoning threatening endangered species of vultures in South Kyrgyzstan

• Student training program:  birdwatching and identification workshop, online seminars, bird banding workshop, mini research projects

• Training of wildlife-watching guides in the Issyk-Kul Region

• Creation of the Central Asian Flyway Conservation Network with the Youth Group on Protection of Environment -YGPE, Tajikistan, to foster cooperation between bird conservation organizations along the flyway - https://biodivca.org/cafn 

Project Partner(s)

• CAMP Alatoo camp.kg
• YGPE, https://ygpe.tj/
• Central Asian Flyway Conservation Network: https://biodivca.org/cafn

Funding

• US Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic
• GIZ green economy program
• Hanns Seidel Foundation
• Ornithological Society of the Middle East
• UNEP