The Aral Sea Basin

The Aral Sea Basin

Author: Stefanos Xenarios

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-09-17

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 0429791062

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This book offers the first multidisciplinary overview of water resources issues and management in the Aral Sea Basin, covering both the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins. The two main rivers of Amu Darya and Syr Darya and their tributaries comprise the Aral Sea Basin area and are the lifeline for about 70 million inhabitants in Central Asia. Written by regional and international experts, this book critically examines the current state, trends and future of water resources management and development in this major part of the Central Asia region. It brings together insights on the history of water management in the region, surface and groundwater assessment, issues of transboundary water management and environmental degradation and restoration, and an overview of the importance of water for the key economic sectors and overall socio-economic development of Central Asian countries, as well as of hydro politics in the region. The book also focusses on the future of water sector development in the Basin, including a review of local and international actors, as well as an analysis of the current status and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals by Basin countries. The book will be essential reading for those interested in sea basin management, environmental policy in Central Asia and water resource management more widely. It will also act as a reference source for decision-makers in state agencies, as well as a background source of information for NGOs.


Application of the participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan

Application of the participatory rangeland and grassland assessment (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan

Author: Sharpe, N., Mwangi, P., Isakov, A., Onyango, V.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-09-29

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 9251360227

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As rangelands support one-seventh of the world’s population and occupy one-third of its land area, there is increasing focus on their economic, environmental and nutritional roles together with a growing understanding of their potential in climatic regulatory systems and biodiversity conservation. However, rangelands and grasslands are complex, dynamic systems, which make assessment and management difficult given the many interacting biophysical elements, drivers and objectives of those that use them. Facilitating and developing tools to monitor rangeland and grassland complexity and clearly demonstrate how management influences ecosystem processes is an important component of improving rangeland management practices, r egulatory systems and economic development. The project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was developed with the primary objective of strengthening the capacity of local and national stakeholders in pastoral and agropastoral areas comprising of grasslands and rangelands to assess land degradation (LD) and make informed decisions to promote sustainable land management (SLM) in a way that preserves the diverse ecosystem goods and services provided by rangelands and grasslands . This report represents a synthesis of activities in development and testing of the participatory rangeland and grassland (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan, including a national and regional baseline review, large-scale assessment & remote sensing, participatory mapping and indicator selection, field assessment results and validation workshops held to verify data and resulting conclusions that feed into next steps and technical and policy recommendations.


Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Ecosystems

Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Ecosystems

Author: Klaus Lorenz

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-05-31

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 3319923188

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A comprehensive book on basic processes of soil C dynamics and the underlying factors and causes which determine the technical and economic potential of soil C sequestration. The book provides information on the dynamics of both inorganic (lithogenic and pedogenic carbonates) and organic C (labile, intermediate and passive). It describes different types of agroecosystems, and lists questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate thinking and promote academic dialogue. Each chapter has a bibliography containing up-to-date references on the current research, and provides the state-of-the-knowledge while also identifying the knowledge gaps for future research. The critical need for restoring C stocks in world soils is discussed in terms of provisioning of essential ecosystem services (food security, carbon sequestration, water quality and renewability, and biodiversity). It is of interest to students, scientists, and policy makers.


Humans on the Move

Humans on the Move

Author: Grant Dawson

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-12-06

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 9004298886

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In Human Mobility and Climate Change, Grant Dawson and Rachel Laut examine the sufficiency of legal frameworks to address human movement relating to climate change impacts and the progressive transition to a more adaptive approach.


Science Advice and Global Environmental Governance

Science Advice and Global Environmental Governance

Author: Pia M. Kohler

Publisher: Anthem Press

Published: 2019-11-30

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1785271474

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"Science Advice and Global Environmental Governance" examines expert committees established to provide advice on science to multilateral environmental agreements. By focusing on how these institutions are sites of coproduction of knowledge and policy, this work brings to light the politics of science advice and details how these committees are contributing to an emerging global environmental constitutionalism. Grounded in participant observation, elite interviews and document analysis, this book uses the lenses of the body of experts, body of knowledge and institutional body to focus on three treaties: the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.


Land degradation neutrality

Land degradation neutrality

Author: Onyango, V., Davies, J., Sharpe, N., Maiga, S.I., Ogali, C., Perez-Rocha, J., Isakov, A.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2021-09-17

Total Pages: 75

ISBN-13: 9251348057

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In rangelands and grasslands, land degradation has an immediate and local impact by disrupting ecosystems from functioning, threatening livelihoods and negatively affecting social cohesion. It also threatens productivity while dovetailing with the threats of climate change in these ecologically fragile areas. The understanding of land degradation in rangelands and grasslands is weak, which is attributed to a lack of robust data and a misunderstanding of management objectives. The day-to-day management of land by pastoral communities is intricately linked to local and traditional knowledge that needs to be taken into account when monitoring the health of ecosystems and designing management interventions. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 Life on land includes Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as a target, which requires that the process of degradation is halted and reversed. This publication presents a rationale for participatory approaches to achieve LDN in pastoral areas while showing how this can be achieved using the Participatory Rangelands and Grasslands Assessment (PRAGA) that has been piloted in Kenya, the Niger, Burkina Faso, Uruguay and Kyrgyzstan.


Soils and Landscape Restoration

Soils and Landscape Restoration

Author: John A. Stanturf

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-10-24

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 0128131942

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Soils and Landscape Restoration provides a multidisciplinary synthesis on the sustainable management and restoration of soils in various landscapes. The book presents applicable knowledge of above- and below-ground interactions and biome specific realizations along with in-depth investigations of particular soil degradation pathways. It focuses on severely degraded soils (e.g., eroded, salinized, mined) as well as the restoration of wetlands, grasslands and forests. The book addresses the need to bring together current perspectives on land degradation and restoration in soil science and restoration ecology to better incorporate soil-based information when restoration plans are formulated. - Incudes a chapter on climate change and novel ecosystems, thus collating the perspective of soil scientists and ecologists on this consequential and controversial topic - Connects science to international policy and practice - Includes summaries at the end of each chapter to elucidate principles and key points


International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2016

International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2016

Author: Harald Ginzky

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-02-13

Total Pages: 427

ISBN-13: 3319425080

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The first volume of the International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy includes an important discussion on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals that are the basis for the post-2015 development agenda up to the year 2030; the Yearbook focuses in particular on Goal 15, which includes achieving a “land degradation-neutral world.” It also provides a comprehensive and highly informative overview of the latest developments at the international level, important cross-disciplinary issues and different approaches in national legislation. The book is divided into four sections. Forewords by internationally renowned academics and politicians are followed by an analysis of the content and structure of the Sustainable Development Goals with regard to soil and land as well as the scientific methods for their implementation. In addition, all relevant international regimes are discussed, including the latest developments, such as the decisions made at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The next section deals with cross-disciplinary issues relevant to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals like the right to food, land tenure, migration and the “Economics of Land Degradation” initiative. The last section gathers reports on the development of national legislation from various nations and supra-national entities, including Brazil, China, the European Union, Mongolia, Namibia and the United States. Addressing this broad range of key topics, the book offers an indispensible tool for all academics, legislators and policymakers working in this field. The “International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy” is a book series that discusses the central questions of law and politics with regard to the protection and sustainable management of soil and land – at the international, national and regional level.


Soil Moisture Importance

Soil Moisture Importance

Author: Ram Swaroop Meena

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2021-03-24

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1839680954

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Poor soil and water management are often related to insufficient or poor rainfall distribution around the world. In modern agriculture, over-cultivation, deforestation, overgrazing, and high dependence on an irrigated cropping system with water-intensive crops increase soil and water erosion. This book examines ways of improving soil moisture management to support environmental, food, social, and economic security under a sustainable ecosystem.