A significant part of the population of the Central
Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) relies upon land
resources to sustain their livelihoods. Pastures,
cropland and forests are the basis for food security and
provide income opportunities for many people in the
region. About 60 percent of the region’s population
lives in rural areas and directly depends upon land
resources and its respective ecosystem services.
Development efforts to sustain these ecosystems
consequently play an important role in alleviating
poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security as well
as foster the economic growth. Land degradation is,
however, a shared problem of all five Central Asian
countries. In addition to the widespread degradation
of productive land resources, climate change will
further increase pressure upon the Central Asian
countries to sustain their production bases. Forecasts
of climate change effects predict multiple threats,
including extreme temperatures, retreat of glaciers
and changes in precipitation and snowmelt patterns
that will change the hydrology of mountain rivers and
cause water shortages, droughts, and floods.