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Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI)
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Background and goals

The Eurasian cold winter – also referred to as temperate – deserts, spreading from northern Iran across Central Asia to Mongolia – are globally outstanding nature regions. They are an important migration area for birds and the last wild herds of ungulates, such as the Saiga antelope. The enormous landmasses deliver a broad range of ecosystem services. These include important pasture grounds in the region’s arid and semi-arid drylands, fixing sediments, and thus mitigating desertification processes as well as sequestering carbon.

Despite their ecological importance, temperate deserts are, according to a study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one of the least recognized biomes worldwide. The temperate deserts are the only biome worldwide for which the UNESCO has not yet inscribed a World Natural Heritage site. Likewise, areas with nature conservation status in these deserts are clearly underrepresented and insufficiently managed.

Temperate deserts are threatened by degradation processes due to overexploitation of natural resources, inappropriate grazing practices, and large-scale infrastructure development. Signs of irreversible loss of habitats and species, some of them endemic and globally threatened, are becoming apparent. This detracts from a solid and healthy natural basis for human welfare in the whole region.

Against this background, the Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI) aims to preserve the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the winter cold deserts in Central Asia.

The main CADI target countries are Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, which carry a high responsibility for the preservation of this biome. CADI also supports these countries in meeting their commitments under key international conventions (UNCBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC as well as CMS), and initiating and implementing measures for coordinated transboundary protection of the desert biome.

With its aims – the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services of the cold winter deserts of Central Asia – CADI contributes to attaining the 20 Aichi Biodiversity targets (targets 11 and 15).

Work packages

© Jens Wunderlich

Project management

© Alisher Atakhodjaev

Project partners

© Alisher Atakhodjaev

Financing

© Denis Nuridjanov

  • Financing
  • Project management
  • Project partners
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News & Events

  • FAO CADI project highlights17. January 2023 - 15:35
  • Proceedings from the International Cold Winter Desert Conference published14. October 2022 - 14:30
  • Dunes in sunsetOleg Kugaev10th CADI Newsletter available!28. June 2022 - 12:38
  • Further work of the Regional Secretariat of CADI project was discussed in Tashkent13. June 2022 - 13:22
  • Mass deaths of animals in trenches in Kazakhstan continues7. June 2022 - 13:56

CADI brochure

CADI brochure (English)
CADI brochure (German)
CADI brochure (Russian)
CADI brochure (Turkmen)

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Kontakt / Contact

Universität Greifswald
Institut für Botanik und Landschaftsökologie /
University of Greifswald
Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology
Soldmannstraße 15
D-17489 Greifswald

Projektleitung / Project Leader:
Dr. Michael Manthey
Phone: +49 3834 420 4128
manthey [at] uni-greifswald.de

Projektkoordination / Project Coordinator:
Christian Welscher
Phone: +49 3834 420 4120
christian.welscher [at] uni-greifswald.de

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