Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - WINS

Informing the Climate sensitive Land and Forest Management

Policies in Central Asia – InForMa

June 2016 – May 2017

Coordinators, researchers and partners:

Prof Klaus  Eisenack, Dr Dimtrtios Zikos and Dr Ulan Kasymov

Close cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Central Asia

Description:

InForMA project evaluates the dynamics of institutional change in forest use and the effects of the Joint Forest Management policies implemented in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. For the institutional analysis the project team develops a research methodology where an economic experiment is combined with a qualitative case study. The field experiment (forestry game) has objectives to investigate the decision making process in forest use and study the role of institutions. The research findings will inform policies on climate sensitive land and forest management in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Furthermore, the research results will offer broader insights regarding the priorities for the climate change adaptation policies in Central Asia.

Funding:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Events and activities:

Project kickoff meeting at RESS on 25 August 2016

Field work was conducted by Ulan Kasymov during  October – December 2016

Start: 05/2015
End: 04/2017

Against the background of the political, economic and social transformation processes that have taken place in Central Asia since the dissolution of the USSR, the interdisciplinary project investigates the institutional framework for sustainable management of natural resources in Central Asia. In order to promote economic development and ensure food security, the resource-efficient use of natural resources in the economies of Central Asia, which still depend to a large extent on agriculture, is essential. Thus, the project focuses on the long-term effective management of common-pool resources (CPR), particularly of agricultural irrigation systems and pasture, and on the area of conflict of food security and local food production. The research interest is directed both to the applicable rules and the detection of past successes and failures in the area of irrigation and pasture management in Central Asia as well as the study of different agrarian production practices and socio-environmental challenges in the field of local food production. Thus, the project combines the scientific activities of the Department of Resource Economics (RESS) and "The Berlin workshop in Institutional Analysis of Social-Ecological Systems" (WINS) of Humboldt-University Berlin with research activities of the Centre for Development Studies (ZELF) at Free University Berlin. The research collaboration will be complemented by measures for knowledge transfer between science and business of the project partner WIWEX. The aim of the joint cooperation is to bring together the expertise of already existing project partners in Central Asia with the expertise of German scientists and to promote the theoretical and practical exchange across borders.

Researcher: Dr. Dimitrios Zikos, Wibke Crewett, Ahmad Hamidov, Ulan Kasymov

Project Partner:

• The Berlin Workshop in Institutional Analysis of Social-Ecological Systems (WINS)
• Zentrum für Entwicklungsländerforschung (ZELF) der Freien Universität Berlin
• WIWEX (WIWEX ist als Tochterunternehmen des gemeinnützigen Fördervereins der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät Partner der Humboldt-Universität in der Durchführung und Abwicklung von Projekten)

Advisor Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Hagedorn

Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

 

Title: