Caspian Sea Communities Learn Alternative Strategies of Small Business Development

Ashgabat, 15 October 2009 – The UNDP Project “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Globally Significant Biological Diversity in Hazar Nature Reserve on the Caspian Sea Coast” has recently held a four-day seminar in the city of Balkanabat for activists and business-oriented residents of Belek, Garagel, Gyzylsuv and Chekishler settlements located on the Caspian Sea coast to expose them to alternative strategies of small business development in their respective localities. Representatives of administrations of Balkan province, Esenguly and Turkmenbashi districts, Hazar city and specialists of the Hazar Nature Reserve also participated in the seminar.

In the course of the seminar, UNDP’s national experts presented theories and best practices of business plan development and helped the participants to come up with their own small business proposals that could be supported by the UNDP Hazar Project’s Mini-Grants Programme. The Hazar Project has been running this Programme to discourage local communities from engaging in businesses that deplete biological resources in the Hazar Nature Reserve. In small Caspian settlements such as those surrounding the Hazar Nature Reserve the Caspian Sea biological resources remain the major sources of income. One of the solutions to this problem is to offer local people alternative means of income to substitute for the profit lost.

The business planning seminar resulted in 6 small project proposals that the participants submitted to the Hazar Project’s Grant Committee for consideration. The proposals include projects for development of local eco-tourism, duck breeding and small farming, manufacturing of thick felt souvenirs and sewing workshop to contribute to the social and economic development of settlements on the Caspian Sea coast. 

The UNDP Hazar Project had already allotted USD 14,000 worth of small grants to implement business projects in Chekishler, Garagel, and Belek settlements under the first phase of Mini-Grants Programme. At that time, the grantees received funds to set up sewing and souvenir workshops, and fruits/vegetables farm.