Rangeland Stewardship in Central Asia

This book examines how to foster land stewardship in Central Asia and its potential to arrest land degradation, conserve biodiversity and guarantee sustainable livelihoods. It presents previously inaccessible Russian reports and scientific literature.

This volume of 18 chapters is the work of more than 30 authors, many of whom are natives of the Central Asian region or are researchers who have dedicated a large part of their working lives to studying the development dynamics in this vast and fascinating region. The work focuses on the 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. But it also traces the attitudes of land users to the land dating from before the late 19th century, when Russian conquest and colonization occurred, and through the upheavals caused by Soviet-style collectivization and sedentarization. The book is rich with new data presented in 68 easy to understand charts/graphs (many in color) and 50 Tables. Information was generated for this book by experts working in-country. It presents for the first time in English a digest of plethora of previously inaccessible Russian reports and scientific literature that will be invaluable for development agencies, including UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Bank as well as to students of this vast and fascinating region who seek up to date and authoritive information.

The book is rich with new data presented in 68 easy to understand charts/graphs (many in color) and 50 Tables as well as photos of this little known region Presenting previously inaccessible Russian reports and scientific literature Original information on land stewardship in Central Asia and its potential to arrest land degradation, conserve biodiversity and guarantee sustainable livelihoods

Inhalt

Foreword.- Preface.- Acknowledgements.- List of Tables.- List of figures.- List of Boxes.- PART 1 The Context.- 1. Central Asia's Bio-Physical Context: Key Features, Challenges, Responses and Opportunities.- 2. Better land stewardship: an economic and environmental imperative if there is to be sustainable development.- 3. Evolution of land use in nomadic culture in Central Asia with special reference to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.- PART 2 Land stewardship: from concept to practice.- 4. Land stewardship in practice An example from the Eastern Pamirs of Tajikistan.- 5. Better land stewardship to avert poverty and land degradation in Afghanistan.- 6. Extensive Livestock Production: Afghanistan's Kuchi herders, risks to and strategies for their survival.- 7. Constraints and barriers to better land stewardship: analysis of PRAs in Tajikistan.- PART 3 Protecting Rural livelihoods: the key to land stewardship.- 8. Rural livelihoods in Tajikistan: what factors and policies influence the income and well-being of rural families.- 9. Livestock management problems and policies in Tajikistan: implications for land stewardship.- 10. Rangeland-based livestock: a vital sub sector under threat in Tajikistan.- PART 4 Creating the enabling environment.- 11. Pastoral Tenure in Central Asia: theme and variation in the five former Soviet republics.- 12. Governance and the role of institutions in sustainable development.- 13. Land Tenure Reform in Tajikistan: Implications For Land Stewardship and Social Sustainability: A Case study.- PART 5 Land protection.- 14. Engaging with land users; the first steps on a long road.- 15. Fostering community-based stewardship of wildlife in Central Asia: transforming snow leopards from pests into valued assets.- 16. Participatory Management of Desert Rangelands to Improve Food Security and Sustain the Natural Resource Base in Uzbekistan.- PART 6 Where to from here?.- 17. Internationalperspectives on legislative and administrative reforms as an aid to better land stewardship in Central Asia.- 18. Conclusions and a way forward.- Glossary of terms.- List of abbreviations and acronyms.- Index.