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Findings, observations and recommendations Findings: The findings of this report fall within four broad categories – people; infrastructure; ecosystems; and institutions, governance and knowledge. The effects of the forces and trends at work have been both positive and negative, sometimes both at the same time, and progress in the mountains of Central Asia can be characterized as a series of forward and backward steps. People in the mountains (one step forward, two steps back) • Border security concerns have constrained the movement of goods and people, especially the nomadic people and those living in or traveling around mountain enclaves. • Public expenditures on education and health are less than one quarter of the previous (Soviet) levels. The official literacy rate is high, but the declining quality of education in mountain countries is becoming an obstacle to sustainable development. Child mortality rates are falling, but the risk of malaria, tuberculoses, HIV/AIDS and other diseases remains high. • The rules on ownership rights have relaxed across the region, and a free and competitive market system has evolved, but corruption marred the transition. • Tajikistan’s animal husbandry and food production exceed 1991 levels, and honey production has substantially increased. Kyrgyzstan’s food production has increased, but its animal husbandry lags behind previous levels. • Large-scale hydroelectric projects are a drain on national resources, a source of international tensions and a cause of resentment among the local communities that may share the costs, but may never share the benefits. • A reluctance on the part of governments and mining companies to share profits equitably, and a lack of transparency in decisions, have led to discontent among groups in the mountains. • Civil war and armed conflict wracked the mountainous regions of Tajikistan for the entire decade of the 1990s. In Kyrgyzstan, violence widened the ethnic and geographic divides. • Women have become heads of households as a result of the labour migration of men. In rural areas they are highly vulnerable to crop failures, heatwaves and natural disasters. Infrastructure in the mountains (two steps forward, one step back) • The expansion of the road system has increased the accessibility to remote mountain areas. The increase in the number of people who have cars has improved mobility and connectivity. • The use of the Internet in mountain countries has grown substantially. Online education and distance learning are increasingly available options. • Information technologies in the banking sector have lowered the costs and increased the efficiency of labour remittances. • The quality of hydrometeorological stations and equipment have declined sharply. • Kyrgyzstan enacted economic reforms and allowed access to geologic information to promote development in the mining sector. Tajikistan lags behind. • Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are working to develop their large hydropower potential, less than 10 per cent of which is used. • Tourism offers a promising source of alternative livelihoods. Central Asian countries have an opportunity to further develop winter and cultural tourism. 5
Mountain ecosystems (one step forward, two steps back) • The increased use of cars has increased the risks to previously unreachable mountain ecosystems. • Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in Central Asia. • In the last 50–60 years, between 15 per cent and 35 per cent of the Tien Shan and Pamirs glaciers have melted. • The use of woody biomass and dried dung as major sources of energy, combined with forest cuttings and the widespread collection of slow-growing shrubs have diminished mountain biodiversity. • Fires and pest attacks on mountain forests due to limited controls and hot, dry weather conditions have destroyed and damaged significant forested areas, especially in Kazakhstan. • Lake Issyk-Kul fisheries have declined to negligible levels, and previously abundant endemic fish species have become endangered. • The enrichment of agricultural biodiversity resulting from the efforts of Soviet agronomists is threatened by the pressures to compete in global markets, and the genetic diversity of the local food base is at risk. • The growth in rainfed crop cultivation in the mountain areas has increased soil erosion on steep slopes. • Overgrazing and the collection of bush exposes the mountain territories to a high risk of desertification. • Protected areas have doubled in size over the past 20 years, and include buffer zones, corridors and national parks, but underfunding and inexperience limit the effectiveness of the protection. Institutions, governance, knowledge (one step forward, one step back) • "Electronic government" systems promote more efficient and decentralized governance, and increase public access to government information and services. • Mountain countries and provinces are providing better media access, establishing small local data bases and issuing environmental reports online, thus expanding the opportunities for participation in governance. • Kyrgyzstan passed new laws on decentralization and the use of natural resources and energy. The process reached the village level with the establishment of democratically elected Pasture Committees. • Mountain-focused NGOs advocate for open processes of policy formulation and act to bridge any gaps between new legislation and strategies and the realities in mountain communities. • In Kyrgyzstan, enforcement efforts could not keep up with the rapid pace of the new legislation passed to respond to evolving local needs and ambitions. • Tajikistan continues to rely on a command-and-control approach to governing. The legislative process is less transparent and less inclusive. • The 2002 Bishkek Global Mountain Summit generated momentum for regional cooperation on mountain issues, but the impetus has diminished and the cooperation has been inconsistent. • The potential for local conflict over pasture and water use has increased, but the support of NGOs and improvements in governance have reduced anxieties. Observations: The establishment of a green economy and the further pursuit of good governance are relevant and necessary steps for successful sustainable mountain development in Central Asia. The greening of the energy, agriculture, forestry, tourism and water sectors will not only provide environmental safeguards, but also give the countries a competitive advantage economically and promote the equitable distribution of social benefits. The continuing improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of institutions will aid in the development of a green economy and in the progress towards good government. Recommendations: The Central Asia mountain report team recommends the exploration of two ideas that have been a part of discussions of sustainable mountain development in Central Asia: • The creation of a mountain countries group under the auspices of the United Nations • The exchange of external debt for an equivalent investment in sustainable development. 6
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Page 5: Executive summary For the five coun
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The Aga Khan Development Network es
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The analysis of mountain developmen
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3.1.3 Sub-national cooperation The
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Modernization of the power system m
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3.3 Institutions and governance The
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50. CASE-STUDY: Sustainable pasture
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Rakhmon, E. 2011. Statement on the
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Safarov, N. and Novikov, V. 2003. T
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Acronyms and abbreviations ADB: Asi
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Sustainable Mountain Development
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