Year: 2022
Collections: Research Paper
Topics: Water, Sustainable Development, NEXUS, Water governance, Transboundary Water Resources
Authors: Ahmad Hamidov, Katrin Daedlow, Heidi Webber, Hussam Hussein, Ilhom Abdurahmanov, Aleksandr Dolidudko, Ali Yawar Seerat, Umida Solieva, Tesfaye Woldeyohanes, Katharina Helming
Countries:
Source: Ecology and Society
This article focuses on the operationalization of the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus concept as a framework for promoting sustainable development in Central Asia. The researchers examine the application of the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) protocol as a tool for interdisciplinary analysis of five different environmental systems across the region. The findings demonstrate that a systems-based approach helps experts identify critical trade-offs between water resource management, energy production, and soil conservation. The authors emphasize that the SIA framework is effective in addressing interdisciplinary complexity; however, it requires further development in areas related to ethics and stakeholder engagement. Overall, the study highlights that regional cooperation and the integration of scientific approaches are essential for mitigating the impacts of environmental degradation, including challenges such as the desiccation of the Aral Sea. The article therefore provides a methodological foundation for translating theoretical nexus concepts into practical strategies for natural resource management and sustainable development.
Year: 2023
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Water governance Water diplomacy,
Authors: Rozemarijn ter Horst, Jenniver Sehring, Alexandra Said
Countries:
Source: Journal of Hydrology X
Based on Feminist Institutionalism, this paper analyses the reasons for gender disbalance in water diplomacy. To this end, it looks at three intergovernmental decision-making forums on shared waters, namely the Nile Technical Advisory Committee, the Chu-Talas Water Commission, and the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. The perceived key obstacles for women’s access to decision-making positions were disciplinary gender divides that go along with a largely technical approach to water management, the gender division of labour, cultural norms, and perceptions of good leadership. While their relevance differed in the different socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts, the overall results show that male dominance in water diplomacy is not only a matter of numerical representation, but enshrined in professional norms and practices.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Climate, Water governance
Authors: Susanne Schmeier, Alexandra Turgul, Melissa McCracken, Zoe H. Rosenblum, Lynette de Silva, Aaron T. Wolf
Countries:
Source: Water International, 49(3-4), 274-288
This article explores major findings and evolutions in understandings of transboundary water conflict and cooperation over the last three decades, focusing on the trends emerging from the Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database. It is found that since the 1940s, countries tend to cooperate over shared water resources, in contrast to media portrayals of 'water wars'. Water conflicts, which have increased slightly since 2000, are mostly fuelled by water quantity disputes or unilateral infrastructure developments. Institutions play a role in facilitating cooperation and reducing conflict over shared waters, but their growth and adoption have slowed over the last few decades.
Year: 2024
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Azamat Madibekov, Laura Ismukhanova, Askhat Zhadi, Botakoz Sultanbekova, Serik Zhumatayev, Alibek Karimov, Sergei Fokin
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: https://water-ca.org
The study was conducted in 2023 and comprised a comparative assessment of the state of Lake Markakol’s aquatic ecosystems in surface and bottom water strata. The analysis of bottom water temperatures showed correlation between this parameter and dissolved oxygen concentrations, indicating that pollution caused by organic impurities leads to lake eutrophication, in turn, pro-pelling the extinction of aquatic life. Although the main water physicochemical parameters of Markakol Lake correspond to the oligotrophic type, the shifts in dissolved oxygen and phos-phate content, as well as growth of aquatic vegetation indicate its transition to the mesotrophic type. Higher phosphate content in water is a consequence of pollution disturbing the biological balance, as well as stimulating the reservoir’s eutrophication and increased biological productivity, i.e. algal bloom. In addition, phosphate ions serve an informative indicator of Hazard Class 3 (organoleptically hazardous) anthropogenic pollution. Based on the correlation factor (r), two statistical models were considered for the target lake: 1) Water Pollution: nutri-ent concentrations depending on surface and bottom water temperatures (Model 1); and 2) changes in Water Pollution Indices (biogenic, heavy metals, mean) because of air temperature growth due to global warming of 0.25°C/decade (Model 2).
Year: 2022
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source:
Year: 2018
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar, Rouzi Ahemaitijiang, Abudushalike Nuerbayi
Countries: China
Year: 2018
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water
Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar, Strenge Eva, Eraaliev Maksat, Lang Petra, Baibagysov Azim
Countries: Kazakhstan
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, Climate
Authors: Thevs Niels, Aliev Kumar, Baier Clara
Countries: Kyrgyzstan
Source: water-ca.org
Recently, Paulownia spec. has been introduced to Central Asia in a number of small plantations. Paulownia yields timber of high quality for applications such as furniture, house construction, boat construction, and surf boards, or skis. Thus, Paulownia might offer a much-needed raw material for this region and beyond. However, Central Asia is largely occupied by drylands so that Paulownia needs irrigation. Against the background of frequent water stress across the region, this study aimed at assessing the water consumption and water productivity of that tree, using a 6-year-old plantation as study site. Trees were planted in May 2017 and cut back to their stumps in 2018. Daily crop evapotranspiration was calculated after the Penman-Monteith approach, whereby the crop coefficients were inherited from actual evapotranspiration values which stemmed from the remote sensing approach S-SEBI. Water consumption per tree was 1741 l, 4461 l, 4500 l, and 4407 l over the growing seasons 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. The water productivity for the stem wood over the whole time-span from planting in 2017 until 2023 was 1.59 g l-1 and 5.65 ml l-1. Given the high quality of its timber and its range of high-value applications, it can be concluded that the water consumed by Paulownia enables higher value timber and timber products than other trees that grow in comparable areas of Central Asia.
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Climate, Agriculture
Authors: Alisher Mirzabaev, Yessengali Oskenbayev, Alisher Sansyzbayev
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: https://cajscr.com
Land restoration in Kazakhstan plays a pivotal role in addressing both climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. The country faces significant challenges related to land degradation, including driven by deforestation and shrubland loss, which has substantial economic and environmental impacts. By restoring forests, Kazakhstan can enhance carbon sequestration, particularly in regions such as Eastern Kazakhstan, which has shown notable gains in carbon sinks from land use and land cover changes. Restoration initiatives also align with Kazakhstan’s commitments under the Bonn Challenge, aiming to restore millions of hectares of degraded land by 2030. By analyzing land cover changes from 2001 to 2020, we identified key degradation hotspots and quantified economic losses of approximately 5.6 billion USD, primarily in grasslands and forests. Evaluating three socioeconomic and climatic scenarios—Optimistic, Base, and Pessimistic—revealed that restoration investments ranging from 6.7 to 11.6 billion USD could yield benefit-cost ratios between 1.4 and 4.3, with wetlands and forests restoration emerging as priority areas. These findings highlight the need for an integrated, data-driven approach to align economic viability with environmental sustainability, thereby promoting green growth and enhancing long-term resilience. Land restoration can serve as a cornerstone for achieving Kazakhstan’s environmental goals, fostering synergies between climate mitigation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development.
Year: 2025
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Climate, Agriculture
Authors: Alisher Mirzabaev, Yessengali Oskenbayev, Alisher Sansyzbayev
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: https://cajscr.com
Land restoration in Kazakhstan plays a pivotal role in addressing both climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. The country faces significant challenges related to land degradation, including driven by deforestation and shrubland loss, which has substantial economic and environmental impacts. By restoring forests, Kazakhstan can enhance carbon sequestration, particularly in regions such as Eastern Kazakhstan, which has shown notable gains in carbon sinks from land use and land cover changes. Restoration initiatives also align with Kazakhstan’s commitments under the Bonn Challenge, aiming to restore millions of hectares of degraded land by 2030. By analyzing land cover changes from 2001 to 2020, we identified key degradation hotspots and quantified economic losses of approximately 5.6 billion USD, primarily in grasslands and forests. Evaluating three socioeconomic and climatic scenarios—Optimistic, Base, and Pessimistic—revealed that restoration investments ranging from 6.7 to 11.6 billion USD could yield benefit-cost ratios between 1.4 and 4.3, with wetlands and forests restoration emerging as priority areas. These findings highlight the need for an integrated, data-driven approach to align economic viability with environmental sustainability, thereby promoting green growth and enhancing long-term resilience. Land restoration can serve as a cornerstone for achieving Kazakhstan’s environmental goals, fostering synergies between climate mitigation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development.
Year: 2022
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Climate
Authors: Aliyar Qurban, Collins Neil
Countries: Afghanistan
Source:
Year: 2024
Collections:
Topics: Climate, Sustainable Development
Authors: Aliya Tskhay, Nazilya Kulpeshova
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research
Recycling is one of the key components in reduction of carbon emissions and improving environmental conditions, especially in the urban context. In Central Asia, the legislation and infrastructure necessary for waste management is still under development. Thus, the knowledge gap and public awareness campaigns are mostly done at the grassroots level. This paper looks at the case of recycling promotion through civic community initiatives that also have a charitable component in Almaty. It explores the ethical considerations that are being entangled with the introduction of recycling culture in the city and is grounded in the literature on civil society, environmental ethics and social entrepreneurship. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with organizers of recycling fairs and NGOs working on recycling. The paper reveals that by appealing to the ethical considerations of people to “do good” and contribute to charitable cause, the organizers of the recycling fair also demonstrate the effects of over-consumerism, ways of doing waste management, and educate about reuse and upcycle culture. The single case of Darmarka in Almaty present a limitation of the study. Therefore, a more in-depth research on the organisation of Darmarka events in other cities in Kazakhstan and CIS, as well as on similar initiatives in other Central Asian countries would be beneficial in the future. This is an important contribution in understanding what challenges and opportunities exist in promotion of recycling in Central Asia, that can be useful to national governments, experts, and international organizations working in this area.
Year: 2022
Collections: Research Paper
Topics: Water, Sustainable Development, NEXUS, Water governance, Transboundary Water Resources
Authors: Ahmad Hamidov, Katrin Daedlow, Heidi Webber, Hussam Hussein, Ilhom Abdurahmanov, Aleksandr Dolidudko, Ali Yawar Seerat, Umida Solieva, Tesfaye Woldeyohanes, Katharina Helming
Countries:
Source: Ecology and Society
This article focuses on the operationalization of the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus concept as a framework for promoting sustainable development in Central Asia. The researchers examine the application of the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) protocol as a tool for interdisciplinary analysis of five different environmental systems across the region. The findings demonstrate that a systems-based approach helps experts identify critical trade-offs between water resource management, energy production, and soil conservation. The authors emphasize that the SIA framework is effective in addressing interdisciplinary complexity; however, it requires further development in areas related to ethics and stakeholder engagement. Overall, the study highlights that regional cooperation and the integration of scientific approaches are essential for mitigating the impacts of environmental degradation, including challenges such as the desiccation of the Aral Sea. The article therefore provides a methodological foundation for translating theoretical nexus concepts into practical strategies for natural resource management and sustainable development.
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