Vegetation Degradation in Central Asia under the Impact of Human Activities

This book is about desertification. The author describes vegetation degradation as a part of the integral process of desert ecosystem degradation in Central Asia under the impact of human activities. A connection is made between political and social factors and degradation of desert environments in historical perspective. Fragile desert ecosystems suffer first of all from the loss of vegetation. Wildlife is reduced, productivity of desert rangelands fall and the people also suffer from a shortage of food. The after-effect of this process is catastrophic, not only for the desert itself but also for the people living in the desert. Several measures are also discussed in the book for conservation of desert vegetation and rehabilitation of desert lands. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-10 Physical Environment and Agricultural Development....Pages 11-32 Historical Interaction of Desert and Society....Pages 33-64 Political, Economic and Social Impact of Land Degradation During the Soviet Period....Pages 65-76 Methodology of Desertification Assessment and Mapping....Pages 77-94 Status of Degraded Arid Lands....Pages 95-114 Change of Wildlife....Pages 115-124 Accumulated Ecological Problems in New Independent Countries of Central Asia After 1991....Pages 125-140 Convention to Combat Desertification — A Gleam of Hope at the End of the Tunnel....Pages 141-158 Synthesis and Conclusion....Pages 159-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-182