Changing inland waterbody livelihoods in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

This paper examines livelihood transition along inland waterbodies, drawing on secondary literature and interviews to examine a case study of Issyk-Kul, a large Lake in Kyrgyzstan. Livelihood activities along Issyk-Kul are diverse and seasonal, and include fruit, vegetable and cereal farming, livestock management and pastoralism, tourism, remittances and fisheries and aquaculture. We focus in depth on tourism and fishing. While both activities have fluctuated in significance over many decades; overall, we show how tourism is increasing while fisheries have drastically reduced. We argue that livelihood activities in Issyk-Kul are characterised by the increasing importance of both discursive and material connections beyond the Lake itself, and identify areas for future research on livelihoods along inland waterbodies. to what extent and how they are changing. We conducted interviews both along the northern sides of the lake (around Cholpon-Atta and Bosteri) and on the southern (around Kajisay). Interviewees included men and women involved in tourism, fishing, aquaculture, crop farming, livestock management, trading, and in government or government body positions. Interviewees were asked not only for their own personal experiences but in many cases were key informants who had broader knowledge of livelihood change. Overall, 23 interviews were undertaken. Fieldnotes were undertaken and subsequently analysed through the identification of dominant themes (Bernard, 2017). The paper presents some initial findings and aims to pose questions about the nature of livelihood change along Issyk-Kul and inland waterbodies more generally.