Utilisation and Management Changes in South Kyrgyzstan's Mountain Forests

Using political ecology as its conceptual framework,this paper focuses on the changes in forest utilisation and management of South Kyrgyzstan’s walnut-fruit forests over the last century. The aim of this study on human-environment interactions is to investigate the relationship between actors on the one side,their interests and demands,and the forests and forested lands on the other. Forest resource utilisation and management — and even the recognition of different forest products as resources — are connected with political and socio-economic conditions that change with time. The walnut-fruit forests of South Kyrgyzstan are unique,characterised by high biodiversity and a multiplicity of usable products;and they have been utilised for a long time. Centralised and formal management of the forests started with the Russian occupation and was strengthened under Soviet rule,when the region became a part of the USSR. During this era,a state forest administration that was structured from Moscow all the way down to the local level drew up detailed plans and developed procedures for utilising the different forest products. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union,the socio-political and economic frame conditions have changed significantly,which has brought not only the sweeping changes in the managing institutions,but also the access rights and interests in the forest resources. At present,the region is suffering from a high unemployment rate,which has resulted in the forests’ gaining considerable importance in the livelihood strategies of the local population. Political and economic liberalization,increased communication and trans-regional exchange relations have opened the door for international companies and agents interested in the valuable forest products. Today,walnut wood and burls,walnuts,wild apples and mushrooms are all exported to various countries in the world. Scientists and members of various international organisations stress the ecological value of the forests and are trying to establish nature conservation areas. Nevertheless,it is to fear that a multiplicity of interrelated factors — the present transformation and globalization processes,the appearance of new actors,the local population’s insecure economic situation and the erosion of managing institutions — are all leading to an intensified and unregulated exploitation of the forests,resulting in their degradation.

Territorial Repartition and Ecological Importance of Wetlands in Moldova （Romania）

The present paper is the first study conducted in Romania on the inventory of wetlands of a large surface of the country. The focus of this study is the Moldavian Plateau, located in the east of Romania. It is delimitated by the Eastern Carpathians on the west, the Romanian Plain on the south, the Ukrainian border on the north and the Prut Valley （border with the Republic of Moldavia） on the east. Although the Moldavian Plateau is situated in the driest region of Romania, the majority of the wetlands and of the low discharge rivers is found in this region. The existence of numerous wetlands, respectively small ponds, is influenced by the human activities and the scarcity of water resources. The impermeable clayey substratum favored the occurrence and survival of a large number of wetlands. Most of them are found in the northern Moldavian Plain, and the fewest to the south, in the Covurlui Plateau. The most important wetlands are those developed along the two main rivers draining this territory： Prut and Siret. Unfortunately, Siret River floodplain has been in most of its part protected by means of flood prevention dikes. Consequently, many of the wetlands entered agricultural use.

Mountain Commons: Changing Space and Status at Community Levels in the Himalayas

This paper deals with the imperatives of nature-society interaction in the Himalayas as seen through CPR (Common Property Resources). It specifically looks at the process and factors that characterize the dynamics of the above interactions, with particular reference to the changing status and governance of CPRs at community levels. The paper puts together the synthesis of observations and inferences of different studies by ICIMOD and others in mountain regions, particularly in different parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan. Rural CPRs (providing sustenance supplies and services) as an important component of a community’s natural resource base, manifest the institutional arrangements evolved by the communities to facilitate their adaptations to nature. The above process can be more clearly illustrated with reference to specific characteristics of mountain areas, called mountain specificities. However, over time, the situation of CPRs in terms of their extent and status, governance and management as well as contributions to community sustenance, has changed. The paper attempts toindicate potential lead lines for searching options for rehabilitation of CPRs, based on a closer under- standing of the factors contributing to their decline.