Legislatively, the problems of land degradation and desertification are considered within the frameworks of land conservation in the Land Code. This document stipulates economic and administrative sanctions for unsustainable management of land resources having caused soil erosion, salinization, or bogging. The Law on mineral resources establishes the standards of land use in mining process. This law also specifies the mechanisms of land rehabilitation after the extraction of mineral resources. The Law on nature protection makes land-users guarantee conservation and sustainable management of land resources.

Tajik government is doing every effort to combat land degradation, however the whole set of planned measures cannot be realized due to the lack of finances. This field needs involving international investments and increasing budgetary funds.

The main directions of measures on improving land resources, decreasing the risk of soil degradation, and preventing desertification are:

• Developing requirements for pasture turnover, pasturing commonly-owned, farmers’, and private livestock;
• Developing the requirements and criteria of steep-sloped land management, and prohibiting their illegal and unreasonable use;
• Introducing soil- and water-preserving methods of irrigation;
• Restoring collector-drainage networks;
• Protecting, restoring, and extending the forested areas;
• Improving high-mountain pastures and planting shrubs;
• Providing access of the rural population, particularly in mountain areas, to renewable energy;
• Organizing monitoring of desertification process;
• Developing recommendations and instructions on sustainable land management;
• Increasing the role of local population and communities in combating land degradation and desertification.

Since the problem of desertification and land degradation is influenced by many environmental problems (climate change, forest cuttings, biodiversity losses, the lack of water resources), a development of the National Environmental Action Plan using an integral approach is urgent. The laws regulating this problem also need to be improved.

Home page | Previous | Next | Maps and graphics | Tables

Last update 03/03/2003
V. Novikov, N. Safarov