Caragana on Kyrgyz pastures: Can China's experience resolve a long-standing dispute?

The Suusamyr valley in Kyrgyzstan is the site of a long-standing dispute over the caragana shrub, known locally as altygana. For years, herders have viewed the thorny plant as a threat, believing it encroaches on valuable pastureland and have even resorted to chemical treatments to control it. Conversely, ecologists argue that caragana is a beneficial plant that should be left undisturbed.

Visually, large patches of dark green caragana dot the mountain slopes and plains of the western Suusamyr valley. This dense shrub, characterized by small thorns and tiny leaves, grows close together, forming circular clusters amidst the grassland. While camels will eat it, most livestock avoid it. Estimates of the area covered by caragana vary: the co-director of the Center for Ecological Research and Environmental Protection of Central Asia, Salamat Abdyzhapar uulu, suggests 38,000 hectares, while the head of livestock and veterinary services at the Ministry of Agriculture, Myktybek Kalandarov, estimates 28,000 hectares out of the valley's total 472,000 hectares of pastureland.

Ecologists like Abdyzhapar uulu highlight caragana's positive contributions: it shields grasses from wind, prevents pasture erosion, conserves moisture, and enriches the soil by increasing nitrogen content. However, Kumar Mambetaliyev, head of the bio-resources and protected areas department at the Ministry of Environment, points to soil erosion as a key factor in caragana's proliferation. "Caragana is a result of our incorrect relationship with nature," he stated. "The land began to degrade, and to protect itself, caragana started to grow, limiting livestock pastures."

The potential solution emerged unexpectedly during joint research on water by Kyrgyz and Chinese scientists. The Chinese team noticed the caragana and inquired about it, learning of the ongoing conflict and the Ministry of Agriculture's efforts to reduce its spread. They shared that in China's Inner Mongolia, a similar species of caragana, also unpalatable to livestock, is intentionally cultivated.

In China, caragana is recognized for its value in producing animal feed. The stems are dried and processed, offering a sustainable resource. This Chinese experience suggests a path forward for Kyrgyzstan, potentially transforming a source of conflict into a valuable agricultural asset and resolving the long-standing dispute between herders and ecologists.

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Caragana is a result of our incorrect relationship with nature. The land began to degrade, and to protect itself, caragana started to grow, limiting livestock pastures.