Central Asia is a part of the world that remains a mystery to many Westerners--intimate acquaintance with it is still quite uncommon. Historically known as Turkestan and bounded by the Russian steppe to the north, the Tien Shan Mountains to the east and the Caspian Sea to the west, Central Asia is comprised of five countries: Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan . Under Soviet rule since early 20 th century, the five republics have now been independent for over a decade. However, even though the Soviet Union has gone extinct and with it the secrecy of its internal affairs, there still is very little scientific literature on matters of environmental protection in the fifteen republics before and after the collapse. This 1/6 of Earth’s area abounds with peculiar cases waiting to be studied.

As a small contribution to the body of knowledge about Central Asia , my thesis research project aimed at shedding some light on issues of environmental management, enforcement of national environmental legislation and compliance with international environmental accords in Kyrgyzstan , one of the five Central Asian republics. More specifically, my research project focused around Issyk-Kul Nature Reserve, which is the oldest strict nature reserve (IUCN Category IA protected area) in the Kyrgyz Republic . The research intent outlined in my research proposal was to survey the current domestic environmental legislation and pertinent environmental agreements in relation to the reserve and to determine how the collapse of the Soviet Union affected the management of the reserve.

Having presented my proposal to my thesis committee and passed my qualifying exams, I was on my way to Kyrgyzstan in June of 2003. During the process of preparing my proposal and studying for my qualifying exams, I designed a questionnaire that I was to use in my process of assessment. The questionnaire included questions such as “How has the management of Issyk-Kul Nature Reserve changed

since the breakup of the Soviet Union and/or since Kyrgyzstan ’s accession to a particular international agreement (e.g. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands)?” and “If you were to compare the pre-1991 level of enforcement to the current level of enforcement, would you say it has improved or worsened?”, among many others. The questions were geared towards current and former government environmental sector employees, NGO employees and other key informants.

A few days after my initial arrival to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan , I began the process of research. I became a frequent visitor of the State Forest Service of the Kyrgyz Republic , the official government agency overseeing all protected areas. After about ten interviews with various government and NGO officials in the city and a hefty collection of annual reports and other important documentation (due to which my luggage ended up being about 30 pounds overweight J ), I was ready to examine Issyk-Kul Nature Reserve itself.

I must mention that when I returned to the United States after having conducted seven weeks of research around a protected area in Kyrgyzstan , I had more questions about my area of study than I did when I first ventured off to Kyrgyzstan . Kyrgyzstan and the rest of the Central Asian republics bear a similar trait in that they are critically understudied in many aspects—society, economics, environment, etc., and I am honored to have been a drop in the future ocean of knowledge about this mystifying part of the world. Between my experiences of seeing the malfunction of a Soviet-style protected area in a newly-independent republic, the breath-taking tranquility of Lake Issyk-Kul at sunrise and the heartfelt hospitality of the Kyrgyz people, I wouldn’t have changed my experience for anything in the world.