Resilient Rangelands

‘Resilient Rangelands – balancing rural economies and ecosystem integrity’ is an initiative that brings together conservationists, economists, social scientists and a large group of stakeholders and practitioners from Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

The group aims at a deeper shared understanding of the rangeland ecosystems in Kazakhstan and Mongolia and an evaluation of current resilience and future change. Land-use scenarios will be developed at two case study sites, including strategies for protected area development. Stakeholder perceptions will be mapped to generate a practitioner's perspective that identifies synergies and trade-offs between conservation and economically viable use of the steppes and drylands in Central Asia. Another focus will be on an emerging human-wildlife conflict involving farmers, herders and recovering populations of Saiga antelope.

This project contributes to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and relevant regional initiatives. It is funded by the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) and headed up by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK).

Involved researchers: Johannes Kamp