Sustainable Land Management in Greater Central Asia: An Integrated and Regional Perspective

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.

Victor R. Squires is a Guest Professor in the Institute of Desertification Studies, Beijing and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.

Lu Qi is Director and Chief Researcher of the Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, China.