In Bishkek, an active fight against shrubs has begun, which the authorities justify by the need to create a more open and safe urban space. The city hall believes that such plants worsen visibility for drivers and pedestrians, as well as serve as shelter for the homeless and a place for garbage collection.
However, the mass replacement of shrubs with lawns can lead to negative consequences for a city that suffers from high dust levels, water shortages, and dense construction. This was stated in an interview with 24.kg by urbanist and ecologist Dmitry Pereyaslavsky.
Shrubs and their role in the city's ecosystem
The expert emphasizes that shrubs play a key role in the urban ecosystem, protecting residential areas and pedestrian zones from dust and noise, reducing noise pollution levels by 20-30%.
In the capital, plants perform many ecosystem functions: they create shade, lower air temperature, and reduce pollution.
Dmitry Pereyaslavsky
The greatest threat comes from large dust particles (PM10 and above), which reach their peak near the ground and asphalt. This is especially dangerous for children, who inhale dust in large volumes. Dust settles on the leaves of shrubs and, thanks to precipitation, returns to the soil, preventing it from entering people's lungs.
Dmitry Pereyaslavsky also points out the increase in allergic diseases in Bishkek, which is linked to the deterioration of ecology and high levels of air pollution.
The water problem: lawns in conditions of resource scarcity
The ecologist opposes the replacement of shrubs with lawns, pointing to the problem of water scarcity. The municipality uses drinking water for lawn irrigation, which is irrational.He reminded that in 2023, some areas of the city regularly faced water supply outages due to resource shortages. According to the new master plan, water supply may be limited by 2050.
“Lawns are one of the most inefficient elements in conditions of drinking water scarcity. The city needs to use technical water, install filters, and create a new irrigation system,” says Dmitry Pereyaslavsky.
From an economic point of view, shrubs are more cost-effective: they need to be trimmed no more than twice a year, while lawns require mowing up to twice a month.
Thus, during the season, lawns require about ten mowings, significantly increasing maintenance costs.
The ecologist also notes the uneven distribution of funds in the city. Expensive and ineffective lawns are often created in the center of the capital, while the outskirts and newly annexed areas remain without sufficient greenery.
“Lawns are less effective in reducing temperature. Shrubs, with their large leaf surface, cool the air better through moisture evaporation, which is especially noticeable on hot days,” explains Dmitry Pereyaslavsky.
Moreover, lawns require constant fertilization and quality soil. Regular mowing washes nutrients out of the soil, leading to soil depletion and the formation of bald patches. As a result, the soil needs to be replaced, increasing the costs of lawn maintenance.
Restrictions on lawns: access issues to green spaces
The ecologist emphasizes that strict restrictions often apply to lawns — people are not allowed to walk on them. In conditions of green space scarcity in Bishkek, this becomes a serious problem. Previously, there were 27-28 square meters of green plantings per resident, now it is only about 3%.“People simply have nowhere to relax in the city's green zone. If we create lawns that cannot be walked on, it’s like a riddle: a pear hangs, but you can’t eat it,” adds Dmitry Pereyaslavsky.
The illusion of space: how the city hall uses greenery for visual effect
The expert believes that the widening of streets has significantly reduced the visual space in Bishkek. Narrow passages and a large number of cars create a feeling of compression.“If there were still shrubs there, drivers would feel 'trapped' between cars and greenery. Therefore, designers leave part of the territory for lawns so that the gaze can 'rest' and at least fall on the houses. This is a spatial solution,” he explains.
According to Dmitry Pereyaslavsky, there are recommendations for the distribution of green spaces:
- 10 percent of the territory — lawns and flower beds;
- 30 percent — shrubs;
- 60 percent — trees.
Shrubs also perform a protective function: along roads, they serve as a natural barrier, preventing children from running into the roadway. The height of the shrubs is maintained up to one meter, which does not reduce visibility for drivers and does not create emergency situations.
“On Manas Avenue and Abdrahmanov Street, the living hedge looked very beautiful,” adds the expert.
Waste management culture: challenges for the city
“The waste problem in the capital is largely related to people's culture, and this needs to be addressed. Year by year, residents are becoming more civilized: if in the 1990s, garbage was often thrown directly onto the asphalt, now this has significantly decreased. However, problems remain — garbage is still thrown into shrubs and ditches, perceived as a dump,” says Dmitry Pereyaslavsky.No studies have yet been conducted on whether lawns and green plantings actually improve the environment, reduce temperature, noise pollution, and dust.
“The air quality in the city remains poor, and the intergovernmental working group created to improve the ecological situation in Bishkek is taking no steps to preserve shrubs,” believes the ecologist.
Savings on chemicals: shrubs and their beneficial functions
Dmitry Pereyaslavsky notes that shrubs provide a habitat for beneficial insects such as ants, beetles, and ladybugs, which control pest populations. This allows for a reduction in the use of chemical treatments.Many ecological problems in the city, including pest outbreaks, are a result of the lack of an ecosystem approach and imbalance between insects and plants.
Additionally, he points to the inefficient allocation of resources. The territory of the capital has significantly increased, the volume of work for municipal services has grown, while the budget of the municipal enterprise "Bishkekzelenhoz" has remained the same. At the same time, the focus is often on decorative landscaping, while many areas remain almost devoid of greenery.
Why Bishkek cannot copy the experience of other countries
According to Dmitry Pereyaslavsky, when greening the city, there is often a reliance on the experience of Europe and China, ignoring the climatic features of Bishkek. The capital is characterized by low humidity, high dust levels, and extreme temperatures reaching +40-42 degrees Celsius in the shade.Under such conditions, lawns require significant amounts of water but do not fulfill their primary function — they do not create an effective microclimate and do not reduce temperature during heat.
What is needed for greening Bishkek
Currently, there are mainly two types of shrubs found in the capital: privet and white dogwood. They effectively capture dust but have their own characteristics. Junipers and other species, including some trees, can also be used, but this requires a professional approach.
The ecologist emphasizes that the living hedge must not be removed under any circumstances. As an example, he cites Almaty, where arrays of decorative-leaved shrubs are actively used, which look aesthetic and functional.
