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Temperate forests

The forests of temperate regions contain some of the richest biodiversity and are home to many unique species. They are also under serious threat.

In China, recent population increases have made traditional shifting agriculture unsustainable and resulted in large-scale deforestation. The combination of shrinking forests, growing demand, unpredictable policies and a lack of alternatives is threatening the very resource base - trees - on which local livelihoods depend.

Our vision is to create a landscape of natural forest that will extend from central Yunnan’s Ailao Mountain Nature Reserve to the forests across the Vietnam border. A major emphasis will be re-creating habitat linkages across the landscape through reforestation with native trees.

Long-term success will hinge on improved co-operation between forest protection authorities and local communities. Collaborative management is therefore being introduced to ensure that the forest-dependent minority people are involved in decision-making and that their livelihood concerns are heard. This should also make them better able to adapt to change, by ensuring continued access to both water and biodiversity resources.

Elsewhere, in Kyrgyzstan, forest loss has been dramatic in the last few decades. One of the most threatened ecosystems is the wild fruit and nut forests, which are unique to Central Asia. These rich and diverse forests contain walnut, apple, pear, almond and pistachio species and are considered to be one of main centres of origin for cultivated fruit plants.

About 90 percent of this habitat has been lost in the last 50 years. Current threats include over-harvesting of fruits, extraction of timber and restricted regeneration due to uncontrolled grazing. The remaining forests are an important storehouse of genetic diversity, as they contain the ancestors of domestic fruit trees, which may be important for the development of new varieties with beneficial attributes such as disease resistance and climate tolerance.

With a pilot community conservation project in southern Kyrgyzstan, funded by the Directorate General of International Cooperation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fauna & Flora International is working to address the threats to the fruit and nut forests. We are bringing together local communities, the State Forest Service and others to participate in the production and implementation of a co-management plan for forest conservation. An important element of the project is a small grants programme that supports social and environmental initiatives to reduce the pressure on the forests.