The publication “Pasture Management and land degradation issues in the Pavlodar region” was prepared by Zarema Akhmadieva and Yelif Ulagpan with the support of the IWPR Representative Office in Central Asia and the regional analytical platform CABAR.asia.
For citation and references to the material, please indicate: Zarema Akhmadieva, Yelif Ulagpan,Pasture Management and land degradation issues in the Pavlodar region, 2025, CABAR.asia.
The publication notes that land degradation and desertification are among the most pressing environmental problems facing modern Kazakhstan. According to research, approximately 76% of the country’s territory is moderately or highly susceptible to desertification. The situation is particularly alarming in the area of pasture livestock farming. Of the more than 20 million hectares of pastures adjacent to settlements, approximately 9 million hectares are already classified as degraded.
The problem of land degradation is particularly acute in the Pavlodar region, where significant areas of degraded pastures are concentrated. Pasture degradation in Kazakhstan must be viewed as a consequence of systemic institutional transformations deeply rooted in the history of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. These processes include the Virgin Lands campaign of the mid-20th century, which led to the destruction of steppe ecosystems, the shrinking Aral Sea, the abandonment of farmland after the collapse of the USSR, and institutional changes in the agricultural sector in the post-Soviet period, which continue to significantly impact the deterioration of land resources. Current challenges are exacerbated by climate change, droughts, and underinvestment in infrastructure. The authors examine the factors accelerating pasture degradation and propose ways to restore them.
‘This publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of IWPR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.