Projekt

Abandoned grasslands in Kazakhstan constitute considerable untapped agricultural potential, which is likely to be exploited in the near future, yet would also allow for restoring steppe ecosystems. Balancing the potentially conflicting goals of conservation and agricultural production is currently hampered by a poor understanding of (1) the spatial patterns of post-Soviet land-use change, (2) the complex interactions of cropland abandonment, grazing, fire regimes and biodiversity, and (3) various potential future trajectories in land use. The aim of the proposed project is to quantify spatio-temporal trends in land use and fire in Kazakhstan, to understand the links between land use, fire, and biodiversity, and to explore potentials for increasing agricultural production. The results will be used to assess current and future trade-offs between steppe restoration and agricultural production. Together, this will provide guidance for implementing placebased rural development strategies that lessen the emerging land-use conflict between conservation and agriculture in Kazakhstan's steppe region. The interdisciplinary approach will rely on remote sensing, fieldbased biodiversity research, and econometric modelling. Major stakeholders in agriculture and the conservation sector will be integrated to ensure the relevance and implementation of our results. A strong focus will be placed on capacity building among Kazakhstani stakeholders and scientists, and on academic exchange with young Kazakhstani scholars.

• Dr. Johannes Kamp

  Universität Münster
  Institut für Landschaftsökologie
  AG Ökosystemforschung
  Münster
  

• Dr. Daniel Müller

  Leibniz-Institut für Agrarentwicklung
  in Transformationsökonomien (IAMO)
  Abt. Betriebs- und Strukturentwicklung
  im ländlichen Raum
  Halle
  

• Prof. Dr. Tobias Kümmerle

  Humboldt-Universität Berlin
  Geographisches Institut
  Abt. Biogeographie
  Berlin
  

• Dr. Sergey Sklyarenko

  Association for the Conservation
  of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan
  Center for Conservation Science
  Almaty
  Kasachstan
  

• Dr. Aidar Aitkulov

  Karaganda State University (KSU)
  Faculty of Biology and Geography
  Karaganda
  Kasachstan