ABSTRACT
Central Asia (CA) is situated in the heart of the Eurasian continent with the total area of 3.9 × 106 km2 and the population of over 53 million. It encompasses five countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (Figure 1). The main natural features of the region include the highest ridges of the Pamir, the Tien Shan and the Altai, vast deserts and steppes, large rivers and such as the Amu-Darya, the Syr-Darya, the Irtysh and the Ily, and inland seas, such as the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea and a range of lakes. The regional landscapes differ by their continental character and aridity. Over the years, irrigated agriculture and livestock production have formed the core of the socio-economic conditions within these vulnerable ecosystems and water deficit environment of the CA region.
