Optimum Density and Space Structure of Kyrgyzstan’s Juniper Stands for Identifying Water Protective Properties

Central Asia including Kyrgyzstan is a disaster prone area, suffering from snow avalanches, landslides and flooding. Within the Tyan-Shan region, a mountainous region in Southern Kyrgyzstan, there is an increasing number of natural hazards over the last years. One of the possible causes of the increase in natural disasters in the region is the deterioration of the Juniper forests in the region. Juniper forests have a large economical and ecological importance for Kyrgyzstan. However, the conditions worsened for these juniper forests. Since 1980 approximately 20% of the juniper forests were lost due to intensive deforestation, forest fires and excessive cattle grazing and possibly also climate changes are affecting the juniper trees and their soil properties. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the juniper forest on the local hydrology and to characterize the water protective properties.