ABSTRACT
The Republic of Tajikistan, the smallest and most isolated of the new nations of formerly Soviet Central Asia, experienced ten years of civil conflict in the 1990s that debilitated the country socially, economically, and environmentally. Since 2000 political violence has ended, and there have been efforts to improve the condition of Tajikistan’s natural resources, which suffered extensive damage during the long conflict. The Pamir mountain region of eastern Tajikistan was one of the most adversely affected areas in the years following Soviet occupation. Its natural environment was severely degraded, and the region saw a substantial increase in poverty.
