OSCE Centre holds ecological camp for young people on the shores of Kyrgyzstan's Son Kul lake

BISHKEK, 3 July 2009 - A youth ecological camp starts tomorrow on the shores of Son Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan with the support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

The two-day camp for young environmental activists opened with a clean-up campaign of the shores the Naryn region's unique mountain lake. The event brings together residents, school pupils and local government representatives.

The ecological camp is part of the project "Improvement of municipal services in Son Kul", implemented by the non-governmental organization "CBT plus ECO". The clean-up was organized thanks to the active participation of the local population, representatives of the local municipality and the Naryn Province administration, pupils from five schools in the Kochkor region, as well as students and teachers of the University of Central Asia.

In addition to cleaning up the area, the Public Foundation CBT and ECO and citizens have placed 40 waste containers, trash bins and ecological warning signs at the most visited sites of the Son Kul lake in an effort to encourage the population to sustain a healthy environment. The equipment was provided by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

Lilian Darii, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: "This work is very timely. The number of foreign and local tourists visiting the lake increases every year. While tourism is a developing sector in Kyrgyzstan's economy and provides livelihoods for many rural families, it is important to safeguard and protect the natural beauty that attracts tourists to Kyrgyzstan. That is why it is important to raise consciousness of environmental risks and their consequences for economic and environmental well-being."

Bugalcha Nishanova, the campaign's organizer and director of "CBT plus ECO", added:

"The time to save the lake has come. Environmental specialists should stand up and defend the interests of nature itself, not only people, as Son Kul is priceless. This lake is our heritage and it should be saved for future generations."

The involvement of young environmental specialists in the project is essential for fostering youth leadership on environmental matters. The summer camp and the cleaning of the lake are designed to give young people the skills and knowledge necessary to find ways to prevent environmental degradation due to improper disposal of waste.