Addressing global change challenges for Central Asian socio-ecosystems

doi:10.1007/s11707-012-0320-4

Front Earth Sci

0, Vol.

Issue () : 115-121 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-012-0320-4

FEATURE ARTICLE

Addressing global change challenges for Central Asian socio-ecosystems

Jiaguo QI¹(

), Temirbek S. BOBUSHEV², Rashid KULMATOV³, Pavel GROISMAN⁴, Garik GUTMAN⁵

1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; 2. American University of Central Asia, Bishkek 720040, Kyrgyzstan; 3. National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent 100027, Uzbekistan; 4. UCAR Project Scientist at NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC 28801, USA; 5. NASA Land Use and Land Cover Change Program, Washington, DC 20546, USA

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Abstract

Central Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet earth to global climate change, depending on very fragile natural resources. The Soviet legacy has left the five countries (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) with a highly integrated system but they are facing great challenges with tensions that hinder regional coordination of food and water resources. With increasing climate variability and warming trend in the region, food and water security issues become even more crucial now and, if not addressed properly, could affect the regional stability. The long-term drivers of these two most critical elements, food and water, are climate change; the immediate and probably more drastic factors affecting the food and water security are land uses driven by institutional change and economic incentives. As a feedback, changes in land use and land cover have directly implications on water uses, food production, and lifestyles of the rural community in the region. Regional and international efforts have been made to holistically understand the cause, extent, rate and societal implications of land use changes in the region. Much of these have been understood, or under investigation by various projects, but solutions or research effort to develop solutions, to these urgent regional issues are lacking. This article, serves as an introduction to the special issue, provides a brief overview of the challenges facing the Central Asian countries and various international efforts in place that resulted in the publications of this special issue.

Keywords Central Asia climate change land use and land cover change water and food security

Corresponding Author(s): QI Jiaguo,Email:qi@msu.edu

Issue Date: 05 June 2012

Cite this article:

Jiaguo QI,Temirbek S. BOBUSHEV,Rashid KULMATOV, et al. Addressing global change challenges for Central Asian socio-ecosystems[J]. Front Earth Sci, 0, (): 115-121.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-012-0320-4
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y0/V/I/115

Fig.1 Central Asia-its land use and land cover, rivers and national boundaries

Fig.2 Five-year average global temperature anomalies from 1885 to 2009 (Source: modified from NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio Data provided by Robert B. Schmunk (NASA/GSFC GISS)

Fig.3 Population change in the five countries of Central Asia (Source: World Bank)

Fig.4 Hundreds of miles of suspended irrigation pipes were constructed to support cotton and other agricultural production in Uzbekistan, leading to significant increases in irrigation water withdraw from Amy Darya River, which was blamed for the drying trend of the Aral Sea

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