Kyrgyzstan's largest walnut forest thins away

Rustling through fallen golden leaves, locals in a forest outside Arslanbob in the Kyrgyz mountains were scurrying for walnuts — an ancient pastime and economic lifeline for the region.

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But the forest, the world's largest wild walnut grove, has for years been slowly fading — hit by the overgrazing of livestock, illegal logging and rising temperatures. “The forest used to be so dense but it has thinned out,” said Asel Alisheva, a pensioner from the village, officially known as Arslanbap, who has been foraging there for decades. She was once afraid to venture too far into the woods.

“It used to be impossible to walk through. Now there are so many people,” she said. “The difference is striking,” the 70-year-old added as she cracked walnuts in a roadside tent. Locals have gathered the earthy tough-shelled nuts here for generations. They are both an economic staple and a symbol of the Jalal-Abad region. “Nowhere else in the world is there such a large concentration of natural walnut forests,” said regional forestry expert Zakir Sarymsakov. He also highlighted the “vast variety” of walnut species that can be found in the region. For locals, walnuts are a bread-and-butter issue.