ABSTRACT
Greater Central Asia encompasses a vast area that includes deserts, natural grasslands, steppes, shrublands and alpine regions. Many of these land types are degraded and productivity is falling at a time when human populations and livestock inventories are on the rise. Ecosystem stability and biodiversity are under threat and there is an urgent need to develop more sustainable land management regimes. This book uses an integrated regional approach to provide a comprehensive exploration of sustainable land development in Central Asia. An interdisciplinary team of experts analyses the economic, ecological, sociological, technological and political factors surrounding sustainable land and water management in the region, sharing potential problems and solutions. As international concern about desertification grows, the book concludes by asking how the region is likely to develop in the future. This book will be of value to scholars, students, policy makers and NGOs with an interest in sustainable development in Central Asia.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|71 pages
Introduction
chapter 3|24 pages
Managing the commons in the post-Soviet transition
part II|57 pages
Sustainable land management
chapter 5|14 pages
The future we want
chapter 6|17 pages
Barriers to sustainable land management in Greater Central Asia
part III|77 pages
The nature and extent of land degradation in Greater Central Asia
chapter 8|24 pages
Land degradation indicators
part IV|40 pages
Thematic issues of SLM in Greater Central Asia
part V|57 pages
Consolidating and summarizing findings