However, rangelands and grasslands are complex, dynamic systems, which make assessment and management difficult given the many interacting biophysical elements, drivers and objectives of those that use them. Facilitating and developing tools to monitor rangeland and grassland complexity and clearly demonstrate how management influences ecosystem processes is an important component of improving rangeland management practices, regulatory systems and economic development.
The project “Participatory assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management in grassland and pastoral systems”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was developed with the primary objective of strengthening the capacity of local and national stakeholders in pastoral and agropastoral areas comprising of grasslands and rangelands to assess land degradation (LD) and make informed decisions to promote sustainable land management (SLM) in a way that preserves the diverse ecosystem goods and services provided by rangelands and grasslands .
This report represents a synthesis of activities in development and testing of the participatory rangeland and grassland (PRAGA) methodology in Kyrgyzstan, including a national and regional baseline review, large-scale assessment & remote sensing, participatory mapping and indicator selection, field assessment results and validation workshops held to verify data and resulting conclusions that feed into next steps and technical and policy recommendations.
