Climate change, non-sustainable land management and the insufficient participation of the local population leads to land degradation problems in parts of the Altai Region, which includes the territory of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Russian Federation. This territory is characterized by mountain and steppe landscapes, high biological diversity and a high dependency on natural resources. An environmentally sustainable use of natural resources remains a fundamental foundation for sustainable economic and social development. The achievement of ecologically sound land management practices, especially in vulnerable regions, was identified as a particular important goal for the economic significance of agricultural production and a predominantly rural population. So far, in some parts of the region, land use has been unsustainable over the long term.

This book presents important aspects of environmental security and sustainable land use in general and in particular for Central Asia, i.e.: the environmental consequences of climate change; sustainable land use and regional development; sustainable development in mountain and steppe regions; beyond borders: Transboundary Biosphere Reserve "Altai" as an approach for regional development; landscape planning as an integrative tool for sustainable development; challenges and threats for environmental stability in Central Asia.

A final recommendation in the area of sustainable development and land use as well as the proceeding efforts towards the establishment of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve "Altai" and the implementation of landscape planning were set in the book as some of the main results of the meeting.

After the sovjet era and since their independence the new Central Asian countries are rebuilding a system of water resources management: an important challenge for the development of the whole region. The NATO workshop held on 25-27 August 2003 by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, attended by experts from five Central Asian countries, Russia, six Western European countries, the US and the UNEP offered water engineers and nature scientists as well as economic and political scientists and practitioners from water administrations and international river commissions to meet in Novosibirsk and develop sustainable approaches in the management of Central Asian water resources. This book presents important aspects of transboundary water resources, i.e. the global water crisis: problems and perspectives; regional experiences in solving water problems in Central Asia; problems and management of transboundary water resources; ecological and economic aspects of water management; scientific analysis and tools of water changes; strategic implications of water access arisen during the workshop. A final recommendation in the area of equitable sharing of benefits, monitoring and data collection as well as proposals for Central Asia transboundary waters programme were set in the book as the main result of the meeting.

This monograph contains articles based on the oral presentations given at the International Workshop on the Biosphere Origin and Evolution (BOE 2005) held in Novosibirsk, Russia, June 26-29, 2005. The organizers of the event were the Scientific Programme of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which involves 50 institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Climate change, non-sustainable land management and the insufficient participation of the local population leads to land degradation problems in parts of the Altai Region, which includes the territory of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Russian Federation. This territory is characterized by mountain and steppe landscapes, high biological diversity and a high dependency on natural resources. An environmentally sustainable use of natural resources remains a fundamental foundation for sustainable economic and social development. The achievement of ecologically sound land management practices, especially in vulnerable regions, was identified as a particular important goal for the economic significance of agricultural production and a predominantly rural population. So far, in some parts of the region, land use has been unsustainable over the long term.

This book presents important aspects of environmental security and sustainable land use in general and in particular for Central Asia, i.e.: the environmental consequences of climate change; sustainable land use and regional development; sustainable development in mountain and steppe regions; beyond borders: Transboundary Biosphere Reserve "Altai" as an approach for regional development; landscape planning as an integrative tool for sustainable development; challenges and threats for environmental stability in Central Asia.

A final recommendation in the area of sustainable development and land use as well as the proceeding efforts towards the establishment of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve "Altai" and the implementation of landscape planning were set in the book as some of the main results of the meeting.

After the sovjet era and since their independence the new Central Asian countries are rebuilding a system of water resources management: an important challenge for the development of the whole region. The NATO workshop held on 25-27 August 2003 by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, attended by experts from five Central Asian countries, Russia, six Western European countries, the US and the UNEP offered water engineers and nature scientists as well as economic and political scientists and practitioners from water administrations and international river commissions to meet in Novosibirsk and develop sustainable approaches in the management of Central Asian water resources. This book presents important aspects of transboundary water resources, i.e. the global water crisis: problems and perspectives; regional experiences in solving water problems in Central Asia; problems and management of transboundary water resources; ecological and economic aspects of water management; scientific analysis and tools of water changes; strategic implications of water access arisen during the workshop. A final recommendation in the area of equitable sharing of benefits, monitoring and data collection as well as proposals for Central Asia transboundary waters programme were set in the book as the main result of the meeting.