Energy Profiling of a High-Altitude Kyrgyz Community: Challenges and Motivations to Preserve Floodplain Ecosystems Based on Household Survey

Kedar Mehta, Mathias Ehrenwirth, Siegmund Missall, Nadira Degembaeva, Kuban Akmatov and Wilfried Zörner
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Kedar Mehta: Institute of New Energy Systems, Technische Hochschule, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany
Mathias Ehrenwirth: Institute of New Energy Systems, Technische Hochschule, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany
Siegmund Missall: Faculty of Forest and Environment Department, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany
Nadira Degembaeva: Department of Agrarian-Technical, Naryn State University, Naryn 722600, Kyrgyzstan
Kuban Akmatov: Department of Agrarian-Technical, Naryn State University, Naryn 722600, Kyrgyzstan
Wilfried Zörner: Institute of New Energy Systems, Technische Hochschule, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: The floodplain areas along the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan are essential as they hold the riparian (local) ecosystems because they provide firewood, pastureland, and areas for recreation and protection against erosion. Due to limited access to adequate, reliable, and sustainable energy services, the rural population usually derived their energy needs from multiple natural energy resources (i.e., firewood, charcoal, agricultural residues, animal dung, and wood branches). This is considered a common and predominant practice in rural Kyrgyzstan. This situation leads to a negative impact on local ecosystem services. In addition to that, the reliance on solid fuels contributes to indoor and outdoor air pollution, which is partially threatening the local ecosystem services. By contrast, the employment of renewable-based energy supply systems would substantially reduce the burden on the environment, which is mainly untapped. To integrate renewable energies, it is important to understand the energy behavior of floodplain communities. In that response, the presented article is the first attempt to capture the energy identity of the floodplain community of Kyrgyzstan based on a quantitative energy-based (on-site) household survey. Furthermore, the present research article synthesizes the driving factors that have a (direct or indirect) impact on the energy and local ecosystem services. In addition, the present article proposes a brief pathway for the sustainable energy transition. The article records the recommendation to integrate renewable energies to preserve the local ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan.

Keywords: Central Asia; ecosystem services; energy pattern; energy profiling; floodplain community; high-altitude; household survey; Kyrgyzstan; renewable energies; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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