In April 2025, RDF experts prepared the COMDEKS Country Landscape Seascape Strategy for the Issyk-Kul Basin. The strategy was developed during the situational assessment and baseline study, which were conducted from December to March 2025. This COMDEKS Country Landscape Seascape Strategy is the basis for the launch of the GEF-UNDP Small Grants Program (SGP) for COMDEKS Phase 4, aimed at implementing activities to improve natural resource and ecosystem management systems in the Issyk-Kul region with the active involvement of local communities in cooperation with government agencies and representatives of the scientific community. It is expected that the implementation of the SGP will allow local communities to improve their livelihoods through rational approaches and income diversification through involvement in more sustainable practices for the use of seascape and productive landscapes.
The activities will be aimed at developing comprehensive measures to ensure the sustainability of the seascape and productive landscape of the Issyk-Kul basin, preserving biodiversity, introducing sustainable agricultural practices, both innovative and based on traditional knowledge, improving the well-being of local communities and sustainable landscape management through joint efforts.
The activities of the Strategy and the SGP will also be possible due to the consolidation of efforts in the implementation of national strategies and action plans on biodiversity at the country level through local initiatives. Thus, work within the SGP and the COMDEKS Program will contribute to the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Conservation, and will also contribute to the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 13 (combating climate change), SDG 15 (preservation of terrestrial ecosystems), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
The implementation of the strategy will support local initiatives to adapt to climate change, restore and protect biodiversity, sustainably manage water and land resources, and ensure the participation of communities, including women and vulnerable groups, in decision-making and conservation activities.
The activities will be aimed at developing comprehensive measures to ensure the sustainability of the seascape and productive landscape of the Issyk-Kul basin, preserving biodiversity, introducing sustainable agricultural practices, both innovative and based on traditional knowledge, improving the well-being of local communities and sustainable landscape management through joint efforts.
The activities of the Strategy and the SGP will also be possible due to the consolidation of efforts in the implementation of national strategies and action plans on biodiversity at the country level through local initiatives. Thus, work within the SGP and the COMDEKS Program will contribute to the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity Conservation, and will also contribute to the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 13 (combating climate change), SDG 15 (preservation of terrestrial ecosystems), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
The implementation of the strategy will support local initiatives to adapt to climate change, restore and protect biodiversity, sustainably manage water and land resources, and ensure the participation of communities, including women and vulnerable groups, in decision-making and conservation activities.
