UZBEKISTAN: UNDP ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 000314 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN, EEB/ES, OES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SENV EAID UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: UNDP ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS REF: TASHKENT 160 TASHKENT 00000314 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The United Nations Development Programme, one of the largest and most trusted donors in Uzbekistan, has a number of environmental and energy projects, including: building ecosystem stability on degraded land in Karakalpakstan and the Kyzylkum desert; capacity building for a clean development mechanism; conservation of tugai forests in the Amu-Darya delta of Karakalpakstan; introducing biodiversity into Uzbekistan's oil-and-gas sector policies and operations; improving energy efficiency in public buildings; strengthening institutions and professional development; developing sustainability of the national protected area system; and developing a sustainable livestock sector. END SUMMARY. UNDP ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST TRUSTED DONORS ¶2. (U) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan Head of Environment and Energy Unit Abduvakkos Abdurahmanov outlined to the Regional Environmental Officer (REO) and Tashkent Environmental Specialist the UNDP's several environmental and energy projects in Uzbekistan. (Note: Adurahmanov is an Uzbek national who studied public financial administration and policy analysis at Indiana University in 2006-07 as a Muskie fellow. End note.) He said the UNDP is one of the largest donors in Uzbekistan and certainly one of the most trusted because it is perceived as impartial. Its policies towards the environment in Uzbekistan also have a great impact on the region, with the major thrusts being conservation, climate change, land degradation, and sustainable land use. In addition to projects in each of these fields, the UNDP is just beginning to design an integrated water resource management project for Uzbekistan. ECOSYSTEM STABILITY IN KARAKALPAKSTAN ¶3. (U) Abdurahmanov said Uzbekistan is highly susceptible to environmental degradation, caused mainly by its inefficient irrigation system and practices, extensive agriculture, deforestation, and overgrazing. Loose sand is also a major cause of land degradation, and approximately 2.3 million hectares in Bukhara Oblast and 4.5 million hectares in Karakalpakstan are affected by wind erosion. Local experts estimate that the wind-blown sand directly affects the health of up to five million people and many more indirectly. ¶4. (U) Abdurahmanov said UNDP's land degradation pilot project in Kyzyl Rovat (Bukhara Oblast) and Kazakhdarya (Karakalpakstan) is to plant grass, bush, and tree species that can thrive in desert and semi-desert ecosystems, thereby showing it is possible to stabilize mobile sands and rehabilitate degraded lands in deserts and semi-deserts. He said UNDP hopes this project will also help revive traditional livelihoods as well as introduce new sustainable land management practices and promote their wide adoption by local communities. CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM TASHKENT 00000314 002.2 OF 003 ¶5. (U) Abdurahmanov said Uzbekistan signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1998 and the Kyoto Protocol the following year. The Kyoto Protocol provides opportunities to a number of developing countries, including Uzbekistan, to reduce their CO2 emissions and benefit from modern "clean energy" technologies investments via the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (reftel). He said the energy sector accounts for approximately 83% of total green house gas emissions in Uzbekistan. The CDM project will raise awareness, improve the government's institutional framework, and train government staff and private partners on CDM concepts for sustainable development in Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Economy and Uzhydromet are the implementing partners; they will develop a number of projects that can benefit from clean energy investment. TUGAI FORESTS AND AMUDARYA DELTA ¶6. (U) Abdurahmanov said that tugai forests were once quite common in Central Asia. Tugai are unique riparian forests of arid areas that include reeds, river-bed gallery forests, drought-resistant bushes and grass, and desert landscapes. However, changes in the Amudarya River's hydrology and water salinity, villagers cutting trees for heating and cooking, cattle grazing, and fires have combined to greatly reduce the historical tugai areas. The local government of the Karakalpakstan region, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) are carrying out a "Conservation of Tugai Forests and Strengthening Protected Areas System in the Amudarya Delta of Karakalpakstan" joint project designed to conserve and restore these important tugai ecosystems. The government plans to build a Biosphere Nature Reserve in Karakalpakstan and educate local communities to use forest and land resources better. BIODIVERSITY IN THE OIL-AND-GAS SECTOR ¶7. (U) Abdurahmanov said the government will prepare a detailed assessment of the legal, policy, and institutional environment that can support biodiversity in the oil-and-gas sector at the national and regional levels. One important goal is to harmonize national laws with U.N. legal documents. It will also include an analysis of the potential conflicts between energy developers on the one hand and conservation objectives on the other, and develop recommendations to address the conflicts. ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS ¶8. (U) Abdurahmanov noted that Uzbekistan inherited an infrastructure with public buildings that are not energy efficient. The projected demand for energy will increase in Uzbekistan as the population grows, so making existing and future buildings more energy efficient will help reduce overall energy use. He said there are currently no national standards for the design and construction of energy efficient buildings in Uzbekistan, and there is no monitoring of actual energy consumption in public buildings. This project will assess the energy performance of public buildings and identify the major barriers to, as well as opportunities for, improving energy efficiency. It will also examine existing policies, legal, and regulatory frameworks for energy management in public buildings. TASHKENT 00000314 003.2 OF 003 SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NATIONAL PROTECTED AREA SYSTEM ¶9. (U) Abdurahmanov said Uzbekistan adopted the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 1998, recognizing the need for protected areas and for the conservation and sustainable use of its biodiversity. One major concern is government funding for the protected areas, even after Uzbekistan adopted a new law "On Protected Areas" in 2004 that provides additional financing opportunities for biodiversity protection. The project will improve the management capacity of the nature reserves and of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, as well as help them to take advantage of opportunities created by the new law, which now allows for the involvement of local communities in decision making. SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT ¶10. (U) Abdurahmanov said livestock is important in Uzbekistan's economy. At present, inefficient use of pasture land and limited access to pedigree sperm, fodder production, and other important breeding components are holding back development in this sector. He said the government adopted the National Program for Livestock development for 2006-2009, but it has no implementing mechanism. In addition, overgrazing has caused land degradation. The livestock project, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources as a partner, seeks to develop a sustainable livestock sector. It will also establish artificial insemination and veterinarian services at local levels. NORLAND