Law No. 58 amending Law No. 18 “On protected areas”.

This Law defines wetlands and introduces the notion of core zone of protected areas, which is a section of the territory constituting not less than 75 percent of the total area of the state natural reserve necessary for the reproduction of the ecosystem where the entire natural complex is protected, monitoring of the state of ecological systems, scientific research and other activities, that do not violate the natural development of natural processes, are conducted. The core zone is determined by the scientific opinion of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic and is approved by the national environmental authority. It introduces a new concept of micro reserves defined as relatively small areas, including among agricultural land, where economic activity is prohibited in order to create numerous foci of conservation and reproduction of biodiversity and ecosystems. Micro reserves of local significance can be constituted by decision of local self-government. Micro reserves of local significance and protected areas shall have as one of the objectives ecological education and public participation in the sphere of conservation of biological diversity. Ecological corridors, constituted by Government decision, are created on land plots of all categories without expropriation thereof from land owners and land tenants to ensure the spatial connection between specially protected natural areas in order to preserve biodiversity, protect natural migration routes of animals and spread plants living and growing in specially protected natural territories.