ABSTRACT
With only 6.97 percent forest cover, Kyrgyzstan is one of the most sparsely forested countries in Asia (Grisa et al., 2008). Unique forests of walnut (Juglans regia L.) and other fruit-bearing species, mainly in the Rosaceae family, grow in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan (Figure 12.1), primarily in the Ferghana and Chatkal regions. Walnut-fruit forests (WFF) occupy about 47,000 hectares (116,100 acres) (Grisa et al., 2008). This ecosystem is characterized by a high species diversity, a high rate of endemism (meaning that ecologically a species is unique to a defined location), and naturally growing wild walnut. WFF are therefore considered biodiversity hotspots (Fisher and Christopher, 2007) and belong to the designated Mountains of Central Asia hotspot (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, 2014).
