Kyrgyzstan Transfers Forest Service from Emergency Ministry to Natural Resources Ministry

In a significant administrative shift, Kyrgyzstan's Forest Service has been moved from the purview of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision. The decision, formalized by a government decree signed on August 21 by Cabinet Head Adylbek Kasymaliev, aims to streamline forest management and conservation efforts.

The transfer grants the Ministry of Natural Resources full responsibility for the Forest Service, encompassing its employees, financial resources, and material assets. This consolidation of authority is expected to enhance the ministry's capacity to manage forest resources effectively. Key responsibilities will now include maintaining the forest cadastre, conducting monitoring and inventory, issuing permits for logging and other forest uses, and implementing measures for forest protection against fires, illegal logging, pests, and diseases.

This is not the first organizational change for the Forest Service. It was previously under the Ministry of Agriculture before being transferred to the MES in March 2024. Lawmakers had previously proposed separating the Forest Service from the MES, citing the ministry's difficulty in managing both emergency response and forestry development simultaneously. While the creation of a separate agency was discussed, the final decision was to place it under the Ministry of Natural Resources, with the ministry's total staff increasing to 2,136 units post-reorganization.