Environmental and Land-Use Changes as a Consequence of Land Reform in the Urej River Catchment (Western Tajikistan)

Oimahmad Rahmonov, Bartłomiej Szypuła, Michał Sobala () and Zebiniso B. Islamova
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Oimahmad Rahmonov: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Bartłomiej Szypuła: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Michał Sobala: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Zebiniso B. Islamova: Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medical Prevention, Public Health and Medical Biology, Samarkand State Medical University, 18 Amir Temur Street, Samarkand 140100, Uzbekistan

Resources, 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: Mountain societies are strongly linked to natural resources and their rational management. The growing population has led to the management of mountain areas according to emerging human needs. The study was conducted in the Urej River catchment (The Fann Mountains, Tajikistan). This paper aims to present changes in land use in 1988–2023 resulting from environmental conditions and land reform. Pasturelands predominate in the study area (93.8%), while built-up with kitchen garden and irrigated areas cover 1.8% and 4.0% of the area, respectively. Kitchen gardens and irrigated areas provide food for the residents. Significant land-use changes were observed along the Uroz River, where the irrigation system was developed in areas that have not yet been used for plant cultivation. This is typical of many areas in Tajikistan, where it is impossible to obtain crops without irrigation due to climatic conditions. Until 1988, the study area was not as intensively cultivated as it is today. Under the ongoing lease system based on the Dehkan Farm Act, grazing land is still owned by the state, but inhabitants have access to it. The leased land does little to improve the economic situation of households but contributes to preventing ecosystem degradation on the slopes caused by humans.

Keywords: sustainable land use; farming system; land stewardship; dehkan farms; landscape change; land tenure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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