MRS. ZHOLDOSHOVA UMUT

Areas of Expertise

Nature Resources Management; Forest co-management; Livelihoods of Local Communities; Protected Areas Management

Brief Bio

Mrs. Zholdoshova has a Master's Degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Japan, and a 5-year diploma in Ecology and Natural Resources Management from the Kyrgyz National University. She has attended various courses, including a 13-months extra-occupation course of Klaus-Toepfer Fellowship Program in project management. Her Masters thesis was entitled “Livelihood of Local People and Their Perceptions towards Nature Conservation: A Case of Karatal-Japyryk State Nature Reserve, Kyrgyzstan”.

Mrs. Zholdoshova has a solid working experience in civil service, non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations, as well as working with international organizations. She worked as a PIU Director of the WB-GEF funded Project "Integrated Forest Ecosystems Management in the Kyrgyz Republic" of the State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic. For 9 years, Mrs. Zholdoshova has worked at Rural Development Fund, Kyrgyzstan by leading several projects on NRM and engaging local communities in NRM. One of her achievements is a development of a new model of forest ecosystems co-management, which was successfully piloted in Batken and Kemin regions of Kyrgyzstan and acknowledged by authorities, donor and local communities.

In 2020, Mrs. Zholdoshova worked for the Climate Finance Center of the Kyrgyz Republic, then since 2021 she is appointed as a Director of the Country Office of the Central Asia Regional Environmental Center in Kyrgyzstan. Since 2021 she is also serving as a Facilitator of the ILC Asia Platform on Locally-Managed Ecosystems (an FAO supported initiative).

Publications (Weblink only), if any:

• Zholdoshova, Umut and Undeland, Asyl (2015). Community Co-management of Mountainous Forest Ecosystems Model in Kyrgyzstan. Paper contributed to the XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, South Africa, 7-11 September 2015. Online: http://foris.fao.org/wfc2015/api/file/5535f87dc13f7d133fb63101/contents/9177fd02-38d4-4b8b-902a-38136cae8fc1.pdf
• Zholdoshova, Umut and Boroowa, Karishma (2014). Engaging local communities in forest ecosystem co-management, Kyrgyzstan. Case study of the ILC Database of Good Practices. Rome: International Land Coalition.
• Zholdoshova, Umut (2015). Bizdin tokoi. (Our Forest. Guidelines for local communities on forest activities (in Kyrgyz), Bishkek.
• Rural Development Fund (2013). Priroda moego kraya – Batken (The nature of my land – Batken). Research findings of Project “Joint Forest Management in Kyrgyzstan”. Bishkek.
• Rural Development Fund (2013). Priroda moego kraya – Chon-Kemin (The nature of my land – Chon-Kemin valley). Research findings of Project “Joint Forest Management in Kyrgyzstan”, Bishkek.