https://phys.org/news/2018-10-wild-tulips-mountains-kyrgyzstan.html

This summer, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) embarked on an expedition exploring a new project focusing on the conservation of Kyrgyzstan's endemic tulips. FFI partnered with Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, who received funding from the Darwin Initiative, and local organisation, Bioresource. The group collected field data, conducted community surveys and held a workshop with stakeholders. Across the 14 day trip, the expedition team was extremely excited to find multiple tulip populations across the north and south of the country. Species recorded included eight of those in Kyrgyzstan's red Data Book: Tulipa affinis, T. anadaroma, T. greigii, T. kaufmanniana, T. ostrowskiana, T. korolkowii, T. rosea and T. zenaidae.

The montane grasslands of Kyrgyzstan are globally important for biodiversity, harbouring large numbers of endemic plants. For centuries, Kyrgyz people have grazed livestock, and today pastoralism remains integral to mountain communities. Sadly, these grasslands are now severely degraded: references quote approximately a quarter of the total area as overgrazed. The expedition team explored opinions on grazing in those living alongside tulips; surveying 68 people in the communities of Suluktu, Baul, Chatkal, Sary Chelek, Kichi Kemin, Kemin, Chon Kemin and Shamshy.