Kyrgyzstan-Germany Project Studies Lake Issyk-Kul Ecosystem

A comprehensive scientific study of Lake Issyk-Kul began on June 11 as part of an international project involving Razzakov Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU), the International Medical University, and Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries. Lake Issyk-Kul is Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake and its leading tourist destination. It also forms part of a protected ecological area. In recent decades, the lake has faced growing climate-related pressures. According to KSTU, cooperation between the scientific institutions began in 2024 with the establishment of the Issyk-Kul Ecological Laboratory in Cholpon-Ata. The laboratory has since become a platform for joint research into the lake’s ecological condition. In 2025, the partners secured a grant from the German Research Foundation to conduct a comprehensive study of the Issyk-Kul ecosystem. German scientists have arrived in Kyrgyzstan to take part in the research. The project focuses on the hydrophysical, hydrochemical, hydrobiological, and hydro-optical properties of Issyk-Kul’s water using advanced scientific methods and technologies. Researchers are also studying biological processes within the aquatic ecosystem, including DNA and RNA analysis of biomaterials. The research is expected to help assess ongoing ecological processes, identify long-term trends, and establish a scientific basis for measures to preserve the lake’s ecosystem. According to KSTU Professor Salmor Alymkulov, the project is important for expanding international scientific cooperation, training young researchers, and developing recommendations to protect Kyrgyzstan’s natural heritage. Kyrgyzstan views the preservation of Issyk-Kul as part of the global climate and water agenda. In December 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Concept for the Sustainable Development of the Ecological and Economic System of Lake Issyk-Kul through 2030, along with an accompanying action plan. The initiative is aimed at protecting the lake and its surrounding biosphere from growing environmental and human pressures while supporting the region’s long-term economic resilience. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in February 2026, Kyrgyzstan’s then Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobaev, warned of the growing climate risks facing Issyk-Kul. According to Torobaev, the lake’s water level has fallen by nearly 14 meters since the mid-19th century, while its total volume has decreased by approximately 85 billion cubic meters. The number of rivers flowing into the lake has also declined significantly, largely due to glacier melt and increased agricultural water use. He warned that further declines in Issyk-Kul’s water level could have serious environmental and socioeconomic consequences, including threats to biodiversity, the lake’s tourism potential, and the well-being of local communities.