TY - JOUR A1 - Ruppert, Daniel A1 - Welp, Martin A1 - Spies, Michael A1 - Thevs, Niels T1 - Farmers’ Perceptions of Tree Shelterbelts on Agricultural Land in Rural Kyrgyzstan JF - Sustainabilty N2 - The reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of—and attitude towards—the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concern raised by farmers was the shading of crops by shelterbelts, resulting in a decrease of yield. In addition, small field sizes and potential conflicts with neighbors were key concerns. Furthermore, rules set by local self-government bodies were inconsistent with the legislative framework, posing significant restrictions to the adoption of sustainable land use practices. KW - agroforestry KW - agriculture KW - Central Asia KW - adoption KW - perception KW - pro-environmental behavior Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2323 SN - 2071-1050 VL - 2020 IS - 12 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yu, Yang A1 - Chen, Xi A1 - Disse, Markus A1 - Cyffka, Bernd A1 - Lei, Jiaqiang A1 - Zhang, Haiyan A1 - Brieden, Andreas A1 - Welp, Martin A1 - Abuduwaili, Jilili A1 - Li, Yaoming A1 - Zeng, Fanjiang A1 - Gui, Dongwei A1 - Thevs, Niels A1 - Ta, Zhijie A1 - Gao, Xin A1 - Pi, Yuanyue A1 - Yu, Xiang A1 - Sun, Lingxiao A1 - Yu, Ruide T1 - Climate change in Central Asia: Sino-German cooperative research findings JF - Science Bulletin Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5419 SN - 2095-9273 VL - 65 IS - 9 SP - 689 EP - 692 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Rouzi, Aihemaitijiang A1 - Halik, Ümüt A1 - Cyffka, Bernd A1 - Welp, Martin A1 - Thevs, Niels A1 - Aishan, Tayierjiang ED - Cyffka, Bernd ED - Disse, Markus ED - Betz, Florian T1 - Sustainable land-use alternatives for the Tarim Basin T2 - Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River/China (SuMaRiO) Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5382 SN - 978-3-510-65432-1 SP - 146 EP - 160 PB - Schweizerbart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Missall, Siegmund A1 - Abliz, Abdulla A1 - Halik, Ümüt A1 - Thevs, Niels A1 - Welp, Martin T1 - Trading Natural Riparian Forests for Urban Shelterbelt Plantations—A Sustainability Assessment of the Kökyar Protection Forest in NW China JF - Water N2 - Cities at the fringe of the Taklimakan desert in NW China are prone to dust and sand storms with serious consequences for human well-being. The Kökyar Protection Forest was established in the 1980s as an ecological engineering project with the intent of protecting the city of Aksu, NW China, from these impacts. It is designed as a combination of poplar shelterbelts and orchards, irrigated by river water from the Aksu River, the main tributary of the Tarim River. Prevalent literature describes it as an afforestation project for combatting desertification with manifold positive effects for the economic, social, and environmental dimension of sustainable development. This paper sets out to challenge these claims by a sustainability assessment in which the plantation is examined from a broader perspective, embedding it to the wider context of social and environmental problems in South Xinjiang. Methods comprise evapotranspiration calculations, interviews, a socioeconomic household survey, stakeholder dialogues, and literature research. Results affirm its economic sustainability, but see a mixed record for the social sphere. From the nature conservation point of view, it has to be classified as unsustainable because its high irrigation water consumption results in the downstream desiccation and desertification of natural riparian forests along the Tarim River, causing a forest loss in the downstream area twice the size of the forest gain in the upstream area. There is a trade-off between artificial shelterbelt plantations for urban ecosystem services on the one hand side, and natural riparian forests and their biodiversity on the other hand side. The paper recommends restricting agricultural extension, and using locally adapted less water consuming agroforestry schemes to protect urban dwellers from dust stress. KW - Central Asia; Tarim River; shelterbelt; Tugai; desertification; sustainability; afforestation; ecosystem services; ecological engineering Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5022 SN - 2073-4441 IS - 10(3) ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stavi, Ilan A1 - Thevs, Niels A1 - Welp, Martin A1 - Zdruli, Pandi T1 - Provisioning ecosystem services related with oak (Quercus) systems: a review of challenges and opportunities JF - Agroforestry Systems N2 - Natural, semi-natural, and extensively managed oak woodlands and forests are prevalent across the world. These lands fulfil a range of ecosystem services, goods, and functions. Increasing natural and anthropogenic pressures impose threats to these lands. This paper first describes the Quercus genus and discusses management and mismanagement practices of oak systems. Then, the provisioning ecosystem services related with oak systems are reviewed, including: (1) oak’s agroforestry and silvopasture systems for the production of food, pasture, and additional products; (2) browsing of oak leaves and acorns by livestock; (3) harvesting of oak wood for timber; (4) cork oak stripping, and the uses of cork; (5) acorn-based foods and beverages; and (6) others uses, such as the production of medicines and extraction of tannins for the leather industry. We discuss the multi-purpose and multi-functional nature of oak systems, and demonstrate how they diversify sources of income for local communities, resulting in improved economic and food security. Further, we show the important role of woodlands certification, aimed at protecting oak systems while ensuring environmental equity. Also, we demonstrate how providing of financial support for reforestation and afforestation schemes of degraded oak woodlands, could restore ecosystem functioning and reverse land degradation. Then, we stress the need to involve traditional knowledge in restoration schemes of degraded oak systems. Lastly, we demonstrate how policymaking and legislation regarding the oak’s commercial plantations and farming systems could alleviate stresses imposed on the world’s oak woodlands and forests by producing alternative sources of wood for the timber industry. KW - Agro-silvopastoral systems; Climate change; Ecosystem health; Livestock raising; Mixed land-use; Multiple land-use Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-5478 SN - 0167-4366 VL - 96 SP - 293 EP - 313 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thevs, Niels A1 - Aliev, Kumar A1 - Emileva, Begayim A1 - Yuldasheva, Dilfuza A1 - Eshchanova, Guzal A1 - Welp, Martin T1 - Potential of Agroforestry to Provide Wood Resources to Central Asia JF - Forests N2 - Background: Agroforestry systems have the potential to provide timber and wood as a domestic raw material, as well as an additional source of income for rural populations. In Central Asia, tree windbreaks from mainly poplar trees have a long tradition, but were largely cut down as source for fuel wood after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As Central Asia is a forest-poor region, restoration of tree windbreaks has the potential to provide timber and wood resources to that region. This study aimed to assess the potential of tree windbreaks to contribute to domestic timber and wood production. Methods: This study rests on a GIS-based analysis, in which tree lines (simulated by line shape files) were intersected with cropland area. The tree data to calculate timber and wood volumes stem from a dataset with 728 single trees from a relevant range of climatic conditions. Results: The potential annually available timber volumes from tree windbreaks with 500 m spacing are 2.9 million m3 for Central Asia as a whole and 1.5 million m3 for Uzbekistan alone, which is 5 times the current domestic roundwood production and imports of the country. Conclusions: tree windbreaks offer untapped potential to deliver wood resources domestically as a raw material for wood-based value chains. KW - fast growing trees KW - tree windbreak KW - poplar KW - irrigated agriculture KW - remote sensing KW - GIS KW - timber volume KW - fuel wood Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-3104 SN - 1999-4907 VL - 13 IS - 8 PB - MDPI ER -