The Resilient Landscape Restoration Project in Tajikistan (RESILAND Tajikistan) aims to strengthen environmental governance, enhance institutional capacity, restore natural ecosystems, and improve the resilience of local livelihoods.
The Project supports the development and implementation of five key policy and regulatory instruments designed to strengthen the policy and legal framework for landscape restoration and sustainable landscape management.
Project interventions are expected to promote sustainable landscape management across 180,000 hectares, benefiting approximately 336,000 people, including 134,400 women.
Nazirdzhon KHADZHIEV, representing the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, provides an overview of the Project's activities (in Russian).
Project Components
The Project comprises three mutually reinforcing components.
Component 1. Strengthening Institutions, Policies, and Regional Cooperation
This component focuses on:
- strengthening environmental policies, regulatory frameworks, and implementation mechanisms;
- enhancing regional cooperation.
Component 2. Sustainable Landscapes and Livelihoods
This component supports:
- forest restoration and sustainable forest management;
- integrated pasture management and pasture restoration;
- management of protected areas and biodiversity conservation;
- landscape restoration and livelihood support for local communities.
Component 3. Project Management and Coordination
This component finances overall project management, implementation, monitoring, and coordination.
Strengthening Environmental Policy and Regional Cooperation
Strengthening environmental policy and legislation is one of the Project's core priorities.
Under the Project, a new Environmental Code has been prepared and submitted to Parliament for consideration. The Project has also supported the preparation of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the State Greening Program of Tajikistan through 2040.
To strengthen regional cooperation, a cooperation agreement was signed with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC). The Project also supported the organization of the Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC) held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in May 2025, and Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2026, as part of the Regional Environmental Summit.
A Regional Advisory Committee has been established to promote cooperation on climate risk reduction, environmental management, and sustainable landscape management.
Capacity building and knowledge exchange also constitute an important area of Project support. Study visits and professional training programs have been organized for staff of partner institutions to strengthen expertise in forest management, landscape restoration, protected area management, and sustainable pasture management.
The Project has also completed an assessment of six coordinated policy initiatives related to transboundary landscape management, continues to develop a regional environmental knowledge platform, has prepared a regional communication strategy under the RESILAND CA+ Program, and is supporting the establishment of a centralized regional monitoring system for Program activities.
Strengthening the Capacity of Sector Institutions
The Project supports the modernization of educational, research, and government institutions to strengthen national capacity for sustainable landscape management.
The laboratory of the Tajik Agrarian University named after Shirinsho Shotemur has been equipped with modern laboratory equipment. In addition, 15 female students from the Project target areas—including four students with disabilities and orphans—have been awarded scholarships to pursue studies in agronomy, biodiversity conservation, pasture management, forestry, and environmental sciences.
The Institute of Livestock and Pastures of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan has also received modern laboratory equipment, while two doctoral students have been awarded research scholarships.
Laboratory equipment has likewise been supplied to the laboratory of the State Enterprise "Tojikzaminsoz" under the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The Project has rehabilitated four administrative buildings of the State Forestry Institution, three facilities of the Pasture Management and Land Reclamation Agency, and two administrative offices located within protected areas.
To strengthen livestock mobility and pasture management, the Project procured and delivered three specialized livestock transport vehicles to the Pasture Reclamation Trust, each capable of transporting 400–500 small ruminants.
Forest Restoration and Sustainable Forest Management
Implementation of the National Forest Inventory is ongoing.
The Forest Management Plan has been updated to cover eight State Forest Enterprises and one forest nursery, with a combined area of 629,999 hectares.
As part of the promotion of sustainable forest management practices, the Project has:
- restored 5,017 hectares of forest through assisted natural regeneration;
- reforested 3,886 hectares using native tree species;
- established 252 hectares of fuelwood and commercial plantations;
- established 35 hectares of forest nurseries.
Promoting Sustainable Pasture Management
The Project has established 50 Pasture User Associations (PUAs) and strengthened the operational capacity of 14 existing associations across 265 villages in the Project target areas.
The newly established associations have been provided with office facilities, furniture, computer equipment, printers, information boards, and public feedback boxes.
Pasture and Livestock Management Plans have been prepared for 64 Pasture User Associations, covering approximately 87,000 hectares of pastureland.
To improve fodder production, the Project supports the cultivation of alfalfa, barley, and maize seed on 420 hectares, as well as the production of saxaul, izen, and keyreuk seed on 200 hectares during 2026.
The Project is also conducting an inventory of existing livestock migration routes and identifying new seasonal livestock movement corridors.
To strengthen field operations, 50 motorcycles equipped with veterinary kits and essential field equipment have been provided to the Pasture User Associations.
A series of training programs has been delivered on sustainable pasture management practices and record-keeping.
To improve livestock access to water, seven boreholes have been drilled, and construction of a water supply pipeline is underway to provide irrigation and drinking water for livestock.
The Project has also distributed 1,600 beehives to low-income members of the Pasture User Associations to diversify and strengthen rural livelihoods.
Strengthening the Management of Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation
The Project supports improved management of protected areas and strengthened biodiversity conservation through enhanced planning, infrastructure, and monitoring systems.
Four Protected Area Management Plans for the period 2025–2029 have been developed for the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve, Zorkul Nature Reserve, Tajik National Park, and Yagnob National Park.
To strengthen the operational capacity of the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve, the Project has financed the procurement of a crawler excavator, a fire engine, a front-end loader, a tractor, a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) equipped with cameras, binoculars, and camera traps to improve wildlife monitoring and protected area management.
Measures to combat illegal hunting and illegal logging have been strengthened through the installation of additional surveillance cameras and enhanced ranger patrols.
An aviary for the breeding and conservation of wild bird species is currently under construction in the Beshai-Palangon Nature Reserve.
To support ecosystem restoration, two greenhouses are being constructed within the buffer zone of the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve.
To improve water availability within the reserve, the Project is rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure, clearing 20 kilometers of water conveyance channels, and restoring water supply to more than 4,000 hectares of wetland ecosystems.
Supporting Local Communities and Strengthening Livelihoods
Improving livelihood opportunities for rural communities is a key objective of the Project.
To date, the Project has established 748 Common Interest Groups (CIGs), bringing together 21,576 beneficiaries, including 8,199 women (38 percent).
To enhance household food production and income generation, the Project has financed the construction of 103 greenhouses, each measuring 6 × 12 meters, for the cultivation of early-season environmentally sustainable vegetable crops.
The Project has also provided 700 beehives and 314 head of livestock, including 40 breeding bulls and 60 Hissar breeding rams, to support livestock production and improve household incomes.
Construction materials have been supplied to 180 Common Interest Groups for the construction of community water supply systems and livestock shelters.
In addition, the Project has procured agricultural machinery and equipment, including excavators, front-end loaders, MTZ tractors, compact XT-244 and XT-504 tractors with attachments, two-wheel tractors, backpack sprayers, and hay mowers.
The Project integrates policy reform, regional cooperation, institutional capacity development, forest and pasture restoration, biodiversity conservation, and community-based livelihood support into a comprehensive approach to sustainable landscape management.
Through these interventions, the Project will introduce sustainable landscape management practices across 180,000 hectares, support the development and implementation of five key policy and regulatory instruments, and contribute to improving the well-being and resilience of approximately 336,000 people, including 134,400 women.
Recall, from June 24 to 26, representatives of the Central Asian countries gathered in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, to discuss joint approaches to reducing the risks of mudflows and floods, strengthening natural hazard monitoring systems, and enhancing regional cooperation in the context of climate change.
The regional dialogue, "Harmonizing Policies, Developing a Roadmap, and Advancing Digital Tools for Coordinated Action," was held under the Resilient Landscapes Restoration Program in Central Asia (RESILAND CA+), supported by the World Bank.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, in partnership with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC).
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About the RESILAND CA+ Program
The Resilient Landscapes Restoration Program in Central Asia (RESILAND CA+) is financed by the World Bank, with additional support from the PROGREEN Global Partnership for Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes and the Korea–World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF).
The Resilient Landscape Restoration Project in Tajikistan (RESILAND Tajikistan) forms part of the broader RESILAND CA+ regional program, which aims to strengthen the resilience of landscapes and communities across Central Asia. Similar investment projects are currently under implementation in the Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan, pursuing complementary national and regional objectives.
The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) is responsible for implementing the regional component of the Resilient Landscape Restoration Project in Tajikistan.
For More Information
RESILAND Tajikistan Project Manager, Center for the Implementation of Investment Projects under the Committee for Environmental Protection of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan
Deputy Team Leader of the Project Implementation Group for “Sustainable Landscape Restoration in the Republic of Tajikistan: Regional Component”, CAREC