Forest created by Alexander Fedin in Surkhandarya to become dendrology park

Aziz Abdukhakimov, Adviser to the President of Uzbekistan on environmental issues and Chairman of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, met with environmental activist Alexander Fedin in Jarkurgan district, Surkhandarya region, and inspected the forest created near the Oqtepa reservoir. The committee reported this on its social media pages.

During the meeting, it was announced that Alexander Fedin would be placed under state protection and employed by the Forestry Agency under the Ecology Committee.

It is also planned to establish a dendrology park on the basis of the unique wooded area that has developed over the years near the Oqtepa reservoir, which has become a habitat for wild animals and birds.

According to the report, additional infrastructure will be created to develop and preserve the park, including the necessary conditions and technical equipment for staff, particularly quad bikes.

In addition, a small house is planned to be built for Alexander Fedin on the territory of the park.

It should be noted that Alexander Fedin was born in Tajikistan in 1959, and his parents moved to Surkhandarya when he was still an infant. He grew up in Jarkurgan district and speaks Uzbek in the Kungirot dialect.

In 1986, his relatives returned to Russia. They repeatedly invited him to move to the city of Tambov as well. Fedin recalls visiting during vacations, but quickly becoming bored there, while returning with admiration for Russia’s forests.

In 1989, Fedin received 4 hectares of land from the state in Jarkurgan. He planted trees on the hard and abandoned land and turned it into a garden. After that, he was given another 80 hectares of land.

According to the Surkhandarya Regional Ecology Department, the 84-hectare forest is home to around 30 species of animals and more than 500 species of trees. Of these, 50 tree species and 12 animal species are included in the Red Book.

Alexander Fedin also organized excursions for university students to discover new species of flora and fauna in the park and to study existing ones scientifically.

On July 18, 2023, Surkhandarya regional governor Ulugbek Kosimov visited the forest and emphasized the need to preserve the farm area, which has become a small forest, increase the diversity of flora and fauna, and develop ecotourism by organizing hunting in accordance with established requirements.