NCCR North-South:
Research partnerships for mitigating syndromes of global change
in Central Asia
NCCR North-South is a consortium of Swiss institutions and their partners in developing and transitional countries. NCCR North-South aims to carry out research on major syndromes of global and local change in developing and transition countries, and to make significant contributions to the design of measures that mitigate these syndromes.
NCCR North-South is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It is implemented by the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Berne.
The JACS Central Asia is one of eight research regions or Joint Areas of Case Studies (JACS) which have been established in developing and transitional countries.
The Central Asia partnership region comprises Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Specific research partnerships have been established with institutions in Central Asia, through which integrated, context-specific, and mitigation-oriented research is jointly conducted and developed.
The University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Mountain Societies Research Centre (MSRC) and its partner, the Swiss National Centre for Competence in Research North-South (NCCR North-South) launched its Herders’ Manual for the use of pasture committees and livestock herders in the Kyrgyz Republic on 19 October 2011.
The Herder’s Manual for the Kyrgyz Republic is available in English, Russian and Kyrgyz. It was developed as a tool to facilitate capacity development of village institutions, herders and other relevant stakeholders for the sustainable management of pastures. Supported by the Mountain Partnership and The Christensen Fund, it aims to share knowledge and promote the adaptation of innovative and sustainable livestock and pasture management practices, and contribute to a positive change in livestock management and sustainable pasture management in rural areas of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Last year NCCR North-South has launched the Policy Brief series evidence for policy provides research highlights on important development topics. A policy brief on migration issues in Central and South Asia has been published last year Thieme, S.; Bhattarai, A. and Gurung, G. (2009): Making Migration Safer. NCCR North-South Research Evidence for Policy. No. 2. NCCR North-South, Berne.
The fourth issue focuses on effective natural resource management in mitigation and adaptation strategies. Topics covered in Natural resources: the climate change challenge include the multiple benefits of restoring soil fertility.
