“Enormous, wild, fascinating. I first saw Ala-Archa in winter. It was blanketed in snow, unreachable. And I stayed. I gave it my heart. That was 25 years ago, and I’ve never stopped admiring it.”
Sitting on a sun-drenched ridge 3,000 meters above sea level, legendary Kyrgyz mountaineer Aleksei Pototsky squints into the wind. Below him, the hum of excavators fills the valley. Tree trunks crash to the ground; dust spirals into the air. A new foundation is being dug – right in a meadow where rare tulips like Tulipa greigii and Tulipa ferganica used to bloom.
“Yes, unfortunately Ala-Archa is changing. More people, more trash,” Pototsky sighs, pointing to the machines below. His voice trails off. Like many, he remembers a different Ala-Archa. “I understand that much is changing – times, people, and those in power – but what about the mountains? Can we keep them untouched, just as they are?”
We talked for half an hour, and then he hoisted a 30 kg backpack and began his climb back home, to the heights.
On the southern edge of Bishkek, where city traffic gives way to the dramatic rise of the Tian Shan mountains, lies Ala-Archa National Park – one of Kyrgyzstan’s most cherished natural reserves. Just 40 kilometers from the capital, the park has long served as a refuge for wildlife and a spiritual escape for alpinists, scientists, and nature lovers.
But its protected status now faces unprecedented pressure, as a wave of illegal construction projects transforms the landscape and threatens the fragile mountain ecosystems.
Today, a three-story hotel, a panoramic restaurant covering 675 square meters, and 20 A-frame cabins are under construction in the upper part of the park, along with a modern swimming pool designed for year-round use and other facilities. In addition, mountain slopes are being excavated – century-old firs cut down and trails destroyed – to make way for new roads and the installation of funiculars.
All of this is being carried out with the support and oversight of the Kyrgyz president’s office, as the national park falls directly under its jurisdiction.
The construction of the A-frame houses, cafes, roads, and funiculars in Ala-Archa National Park violates multiple Kyrgyz laws protecting natural areas, an environmental lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns of potential retaliation, told The Diplomat.
These laws include the Law on Specially Protected Natural Territories, which forbids capital construction unrelated to conservation, scientific research, or eco-tourism, as well as unauthorized tree cutting and habitat disruption. The Environmental Code requires environmental impact assessments and public consultations for such projects, none of which has been conducted. The Law on Wildlife prohibits actions harming habitats of protected species like snow leopards and golden eagles, yet deforestation and increased human activity are arguably destroying these habitats. The Forest Code bans unauthorized tree cutting, but century-old firs have been felled without proper approvals. And the Law on Subsoil raises concerns over disrupted hydrology from infrastructure work affecting water resources.
In sum, the activities observed in the park flagrantly breach the legal frameworks designed to protect Ala-Archa’s unique ecosystem and threaten its long-term conservation.
Over the course of a month, all of The Diplomat’s attempts to reach the park administration – via official contacts, social media, and personal phone numbers listed on the park’s website – were unsuccessful.
Simple questions such as “What facilities are being built?” went unanswered.
The view of the park from the Tepshi plateau (2,600 meters above sea level). Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
An Ecosystem Under Siege
Ala-Archa, which means “variegated juniper,” is home to ancient juniper forests and a stunning degree of biodiversity. Stretching over 17,000 hectares – with some figures citing the park’s size as large as 24,500 hectares – Ala-Archa hosts more than 800 species of plants and over 160 rare or endangered vertebrates, including snow leopards, lynx, Siberian ibex, and the elusive bearded vulture.
Once a premier destination for alpinists across the Soviet Union, the park’s Ratzek hut – perched at 3,200 meters – remains a gateway to Kyrgyzstan’s famed 4,000-meter peaks. Foreign climbers and tourists flock to the park for its remote beauty and rugged terrain.
One of them is Bastien Chaix, a 39-year-old French ornithologist who first visited Kyrgyzstan in 2006 and now leads annual research expeditions on snow leopards.
“Tourists come here for the wild nature,” Chaix says. “The landscape is still untouched – that’s rare in today’s world. But that’s exactly why we must protect it. What’s happening in Ala-Archa now could ruin that forever.”
Chaix points to the site of a new hotel.
“This used to be home to Siberian ibex, Turkestan lynx, and snow leopards. I once showed tourists rare birds from here – Himalayan monals, white-browed tits. That habitat is gone now. Bulldozed.”
Construction in Ala-Archa. Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
The Glacier Laboratory, Threatened
For over a decade, environmental activist and climate expert Gulbara Omarova has studied Ala-Archa’s glaciers and biodiversity. Her team monitors 15 zones at high risk of mudflows, risks she says are rapidly increasing due to human activity.
“This is a living ecosystem, and it’s being systematically destroyed. No money can bring it back – not in a hundred years,” Omarova says. “They’ve started building a cable car to Ak-Sai glacier, and another 12-kilometer route is planned straight into a zone where we study glaciology and hydrology. This park is our living lab. And they’re tearing it apart.”
Beyond biodiversity, the park’s glacier network plays a vital role in Kyrgyzstan’s water security. Ala-Archa hosts more than 50 glaciers, including Ak-Sai, Adygene, and Golubina, which feed the Ala-Archa River and its tributaries. These waterways support ecosystems, irrigate farmlands in the Chuy Valley, and supply drinking water to villages and parts of Bishkek.
Activists warn that poorly planned construction – cafés, cottages, sewage facilities – poses a serious contamination risk. Wastewater could seep into the river system, impacting not just nature but also food security and public health beyond the park.
A path leading into the mountains. Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
A Boom Fueled by Silence
Since autumn 2024, large-scale construction projects have been evident in the park. Yet none of them appears to have gone through proper environmental impact assessments or subject to public hearings. The park’s administration initially claimed the projects were just “trail improvement.”
“One morning I saw boulders strewn across the path,” recalls a local mountain guide. “At first I thought it was an avalanche. Then I saw the tracks. My colleagues were nearly hit. Later, the park claimed they were ‘clearing landslide debris.’ Why lie? Someone could’ve died.”
One tour company posted on Instagram: “The famous ‘Broken Heart Trail’ is being demolished. The park’s statement blames rockfall, but we all saw the excavator there the day before. Who authorized this destruction – and who owns the hotel?”
But in general, tour companies have been silent – fearing a backlash if they were to speak up.
A slope with junipers, being excavated for a funicular. Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
Legally Protected, Practically Abandoned
Ala-Archa is designated as a strictly protected natural area under Kyrgyz law. Construction in such zones requires state ecological assessments (OVOS) and public input. Neither has occurred transparently. During our research, we visited the park four times and spoke with tourists, guides, park staff, and climbers. Long-time visitors and park enthusiasts speak with one voice about the deplorable state of the park and the ongoing destruction.
“These projects violate Article 21 and 22 of our law on protected areas,” says Omorova. “No proper environmental review has been done. The reports, if they exist, are hidden. This violates every principle of transparency and accountability.”
Instead of protection, Ala-Archa is becoming a playground for private profit. Electric minibuses, launched in May 2025, were purchased by a private entity.
“They weren’t designed for mountains,” admits one park staffer anonymously. “They’re basically golf carts – meant to move slowly while tourists take pictures. It was never supposed to be like this. It’s a blatant betrayal of environmental protection – they’re digging up the land, yet touting the introduction of electric cars.”
Profit Over Preservation
In 2022, parliament deputy Eldar Sulaimanov proposed changing the status of Ala-Archa National Park to allow business facilities within the gorge. The initiative sparked heated public debate and was ultimately rejected. Environmentalist Idiris Torgoev warned at the time in comments to RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz service, Radio Azattyk, that such development would cause irreparable damage.
“As soon as people start construction here, nature will suffer. This park is not only for visitors from Bishkek but for all Kyrgyzstan. Ignoring public opinion for profit risks repeating the environmental disaster seen in the park near Almaty, Kazakhstan,” he said.
On May 1, 2025, Kanybek Tumanbaev, the head of the presidential affairs department since 2022, officially opened the tourist season at Ala-Archa. Admission was free for the day, part of a government campaign celebrating Kyrgyzstan’s natural beauty. Despite the park’s protected status, photographs published by local media showed Tumanbaev cutting a ribbon beside construction workers and new buildings.
When asked about the park’s construction boom, a Kyrgyz political scientist was hesitant to speak on the record to The Diplomat.
“My explanation could get me into trouble,” the researcher said. “But it seems the construction sector has become a key part of the economy, with state enterprises heavily involved. There is rampant corruption and business dealings among close associates of the leadership – including relatives and officials… It’s unclear if Tumanbaev is acting on his own behalf or following orders from higher up. These are just guesses.”
The political scientist quickly ended the conversation, nervous about the risks of being quoted.
Such concerns are far from unfounded. Discussing the president’s family or corruption can result in serious repercussions in Kyrgyzstan, including raids and arrests, as journalists, activists, and relatives who speak out have experienced.
In May 2024, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Kloop, and Temirov LIVE jointly published an investigative report on major state construction projects. It triggered a significant backlash that continues to unfold.
The three outlets working in collaboration had examined 11 projects – six of which were funded with $137 million – including housing construction in Batken after the 2021-2022 border conflicts, the new presidential administration building, mortgage housing in Bishkek, residences at the state compound, and guest houses in Ala-Archa National Park.
The five companies awarded contracts for these projects were found to be interconnected, with owners or management linked to Japarov or Tumanbaev, according to the joint investigation.
Tumanbaev, regarded as the president’s “business manager,” wields significant influence over governance and development initiatives. According to an insider, he directly controls these companies, issuing orders to their nominal owners and directors.
The administration responded swiftly to the investigation. The head of the presidential press service, Daiyrbek Orunbekov, told Azattyk the day after the publication that the report aimed to slander and discredit the government: “Kloop and journalist Bolot Temirov have repeatedly spread false and unverified information. One has been expelled from the country, and the other’s activities suspended for materials deemed contrary to state interests.”
More recently, amid a new crackdown targeting Kloop, Orunbekov took to Facebook to allege nefarious connections between several young journalists working for Kloop and Temirov, who runs a separate investigative outlet and has been targeted by the Japarov government for years. What the two outlets have in common is their investigative nature and sharp focus on government and elite corruption.
Temur Umarov, researcher at the Carnegie Center in Berlin, sees this as a familiar pattern in Central Asia: “It’s the same story as always – corruption, money laundering, kickbacks. Now, Japarov’s authoritarian ambitions are driving him to build grand projects to secure his reputation among regional leaders. He wants to be seen as an important figure.”
A view of the Ala-Archa gorge from the ruined path of the park’s Broken Heart panorama. Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
A National Symbol at Risk
The snow leopard – Kyrgyzstan’s national symbol – is already listed as vulnerable, with fewer than 400 remaining. Ala-Archa is one of their few known habitats near the capital.
“They’re building right over the snow leopard migration corridor. These animals are shy – if they’re disturbed, they won’t return. And if they go, the whole ecosystem collapses,” Omarova explains. “They need peace, space, silence. Once disturbed, they’re gone. Losing them isn’t just symbolic. It means the entire ecosystem is unraveling.”
Meanwhile, pollution from construction is already affecting the park’s glaciers.
“They’re turning black with dust,” she says. When that happens, the glaciers’ “reflectivity – what we call ‘albedo’ – drops, and they melt faster.”
Vlad Ushakov, eco-activist, journalist, and expert at the EcoMir Public Foundation, believes the situation with Kyrgyzstan’s natural parks is concerning. Many have been transformed into recreational zones, despite their intended role as sanctuaries of untouched nature.
“Business activities in Ala-Archa are adding to the anthropogenic burden. Every year, more tourists visit, and the more people there are, the less space remains for nature,” Ushakov says.
A view of the mountainside excavated for the construction of hotels and a funicular. Photo by Aigerim Turgunbaeva, spring 2025.
What Comes Next?
Despite pleas from scientists, guides, and visitors, construction continues.
No impact assessments have been published. No official responses have been received.
More than 10 people, including environmentalists and lawyers, declined to comment on the situation at Ala-Archa due to fears of potential persecution.
The park’s annual revenue hit 233 million som ($2.6 million) in 2024 – almost 10 times revenues in 2019. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan’s global environmental ranking dropped 21 places in just two years.
“Nature is Kyrgyzstan’s greatest asset,” says Chaix. “It’s what makes the country special. To watch such destruction inside a national park – it’s heartbreaking. It’s a shame. And it’s a warning.”