Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI) – conservation and sustainable use of winter-cold deserts in Central As

General

The winter-cold deserts of Central Asia are important migration areas for birds and for the last wild ungulate herds of the north, which include the rare Saiga antelopes. The grazing grounds in these areas are also an important basis for the livelihoods of the local human populations. In addition, these unique natural regions absorb large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and slow down the ongoing process of desertification. The project helped the partner institutions with sustainable land use planning that involved the region’s populations, and also supported the establishment of protected areas and world natural heritage sites. It networked key stakeholders and supported the partner countries in implementing their international CBD and UNFCCC obligations. This was carried out by means of policy advice, scientific cooperation, training measures and the introduction of the regional desert initiative “CADI” – the Central Asian Desert Initiative.