Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI)

Conservation and sustainable use of cold winter deserts of Central Asia

Background

The cold winter – or temperate – deserts of Central Asia are part of WWF Global 200 priority ecoregions, the global “hotspots” with the highest demand for common conservation efforts. Olson and Dinerstein (2002) assess the Central Asian deserts ecosystems as “critical or endangered (CE)“.[1]

The cold winter deserts are an important migration area for birds and the last wild herds of ungulates, such as the saiga antelope. The enormous land masses deliver a broad range of ecosystem services. These include important pasture grounds in the region’s arid and semi-arid drylands, fixing sediments and thus mitigating desertification processes as well as sequestering carbon. Despite their ecological importance, temperate deserts are one of the least recognized biomes worldwide. The temperate deserts are the only biome worldwide for which the UNESCO has not yet inscribed a World Natural Heritage site. Likewise, areas with nature conservation status in these deserts are clearly underrepresented and insufficiently managed.

Yet, the temperate deserts are threatened by degradation processes due to overexploitation of natural resources, inappropriate grazing practice, and large-scale infrastructure development. Signs of irreversible loss of habitats and species, some of them endemic and globally threatened, are becoming apparent. This detracts from a solid and healthy natural basis for human welfare in the whole region.

[1] Olson, D. M. and Dinerstein, E. (2002). The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89, 199-224.