Integration of remote sensing, modeling, and field approaches for rangeland management and endangered species conservation in Central Asia

Integration of robust scientific approaches and on-the-ground conservation practice to “bridge the gap” between biologists and field managers is a perennial challenge in biodiversity conservation. In this thesis I present five, related case studies of integrating key scientific approaches (remote sensing techniques, habitat modeling and suitability analysis, and population modeling) with field practices to facilitate sustainable and locally accepted rangeland management, support conservation of snow leopard and Altai argali, and suggest options for tiger restoration in Central Asia. My synthesis of these case studies reveals that to advance regional long-term conservation initiatives, conservation science has to address relevant conservation problem directly, suggest solutions and recommendations that can be implemented by conservation managers given their capacity levels, fit into local knowledge systems as they pertain to the ecosystems under consideration, and focus on sharing lessons learned across projects

Policy Influence in the Russian Federation: Evaluation of advocacy and campaigning on climate change

This evaluation is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2013/14, randomly selected for review under the policy influence thematic area. This report documents the findings of a qualitative impact evaluation, carried out from March to July 2014. The evaluation used process tracing to assess the effectiveness of the 'Advocacy and campaigning on Climate Change in the Russian Federation' project.The project began as a climate change campaign in the lead up to UNFCCC COP15 (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties) in Copenhagen in 2009. Re-launched in June 2011, the project focused on raising awareness of climate change impacts on food production and expanding the space for civil society activism on these issues in Russia.The evaluation assessed whether the project had effectively contributed to the development of internet community networks in support of climate change and food security issues in Russia; mobilization of activists by the campaign to promote climate change and food security issues amongst the general public; and increasing input from civic organizations and activists into developing governmental policies on climate change and food security issues at national and international levels.Read more about the Oxfam Effectiveness Reviews.

Rangeland vegetation dynamics in the Altai mountain region of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China: effects of climate, topography, and socio-political context for livestock herding practices

Discriminating between climate- and human-induced variation in rangeland quality poses a major challenge for developing policy to sustain herder livelihoods and alleviate herder poverty. We contrasted changes in rangeland vegetation cover across a region—the Altai Mountains of central Asia (China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia)—that juxtaposes strongly contrasting social, political and economic conditions across a community of herders of shared cultural background (all of Kazakh origin). Our analysis focused on a satellite-derived vegetation index (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index—NDVI) from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer sensor during the period 1982–2013, which included the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990 and heralded a transition away from pervasive state control on herding practices in many parts of the region. Grassland cover increased with decreasing elevation and increasing precipitation. Grassland also decreased under increased livestock density but was largely unresponsive to the dramatic changes that occurred in the sociopolitical context for grazing practices. Average NDVI values and duration of growing season were greater after the Soviet Union’s collapse across the region, trends that precipitation and temperature data indicate were most likely driven by a changing climate. We conclude that rangeland policy development to assure sustainability of herder livelihoods in the Altai Mountain region should focus on climate change adaptation measures rather than modifying herders’ grazing practices