Project and Research "Revival of the Kyrgyz Aboriginal Horse in Kyrgyzstan"

"Revival of the Kyrgyz Aboriginal Horse in Kyrgyzstan"

In 2024, RDF in collaboration with the Golden Hoof consortium participated in research related to "Ecosystem aspects of the conservation of the Kyrgyz aboriginal horse". The study was conducted within the framework of the project "Revival of the Kyrgyz Aboriginal Horse in Kyrgyzstan". RDF experts were involved in the ecological component of the research, which was aimed at studying the Kyrgyz aboriginal horse in terms of ecological and ecosystem aspects, issues of impact on ecosystems and issues of providing ecosystem services.

The research was aimed at solving several problems:

1. Review of international experience to study various case studies on aboriginal horses in different countries to analyze approaches to the conservation of the aboriginal horse;

2. Analysis of the statistical data and document, including the analysis of various materials and statistical data to analyze the conservation of the Kyrgyz horse;

3. Collection of data for analysis of the impact of aboriginal horses on ecosystems and provision of ecosystem services.

The main methods of desk review were a bibliographic review of scientific articles, statistical data, documents on the conservation of aboriginal horses, comparative analysis, discussion and group discussions, as well as a field study. The desk review consisted of several stages of research:

1. Conducting a review of international experience - case studies;

2. Descriptive analysis - historical background and analysis of statistical data;

3. Study of the conservation of the Kyrgyz horse and interaction with ecosystems;

4. Conducting a mini-field study and analysis of field data.

The international review and mini-field study made it possible to determine the main areas of work in the future on the development of aboriginal livestock farming in Kyrgyzstan. The results of the desk research, interviews and discussions provided a vision for a preliminary assessment of the issues of revival and conservation of the Kyrgyz horse, and also helped in identifying the next directions for a more comprehensive study on the conservation and restoration of the Kyrgyz horse population in Kyrgyzstan.

In November 2024, a final Round Table was held on the results of the first study with the participation of representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, government institutions, custodians of traditional knowledge, representatives of civil society interested in the revival and conservation of the Kyrgyz aboriginal horse. Information about the Round Table can be found here.