Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

Other grasslands 435
Most of the lowlands of Central Asia have a very cold variant of the
Mediterranean arid and semi -arid climate. Their latitude range (35°–46°)
is similar to that of the steppes in the northern part of western Asia, the
Maghreb and Spain to the west, and the Gobi and Mongolia to the east.
Precipitation as rain and snow falls in the cold winter –spring period, with
winter extreme minima often falling below -20°C.
Small ruminants, primarily sheep , are the main livestock of the region; finewool
breeds were greatly encouraged during the soviet period, but these are less
hardy than local breeds and the wool no longer commands interesting prices;
local fat-tailed breeds are now at least as common as fine-wools; in Uzbekistan ,
Karakul are raised for their pelts. Camels are used for transport – the Arabian
type in the south and east, with the Bactrian taking over in Kazakhstan . Horses
are also very important. Cattle are raised in agricultural zones and in the mountains,
and yak are locally important in Kyrgyzstan .
Before the Russian revolution, the pastures were exploited by herders who
depended entirely on the grassland resources ; herders and their livestock moved
seasonally between lowland winter pastures and summer grazing . In the 1930s
the herders were settled and collectivized; this stopped transhumant movement
between different ecological zones . The system of state farms , cooperatives and
state services would be similar to those for the USSR described in Chapter 10.
Planned socialist systems were imposed, including breed improvement and
feeding. Later, the usefulness of seasonal movement was recognized and land in
different seasonal zones was allocated to cooperatives and state farms.
Heavy grazing and firewood collection have seriously reduced vegetation
cover and the natural grazing has become degraded, with a loss of productivity
and increasing desertification; destruction of forests and shrubs has led to
wind erosion. Rehabilitation techniques were developed and have been applied
on a fairly large scale; they are described by Gintzburger et al. (2003). After
decollectivization, with fragmentation of herds and holdings and lack of clarity
concerning herders’ responsibility for maintaining the pasture resource, rehabilitation
activities have been greatly reduced.
The impact of decollectivization on livestock production systems , grassland
management and herder’s livelihoods has been dramatic and negative (Aw-
Hassan et al., 2004). Large agrofood complexes were dismantled and cooperative
farms were privatized. Marketing systems collapsed and many traditional
markets were lost. Institutional changes have not kept pace with changes in
production systems. One overall result has been a sharp decline in stock numbers
in some of the countries, especially sheep ; falls have been most marked in
Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Fitzherbert (2000) reports that sheep
numbers in Kyrgyzstan fell from 9 500 000 in 1990 to 3 250 000 in 1999.
The reforms led to a massive shift from collective to household herds; often
household stock numbers are too few to warrant independent herding and
communal or family herding has not yet developed; this often leads to stock