KHOROG, December 23, 2008, Asia-Plus — Over the past decade, more than 1,100 hectares of pastures have been degraded in GBAO’s Murgab district, Dr. Khudodod Aqnazarov, a lead researcher with the Pamir Biological Institute, announced at a press conference in Khorog on December 22.
According to him, the main reason for that is unregulated uprooting of teresken shrub (lat. Ceratoides papposa), which is valuable fodder for both wildlife and domestic animals in Murgab. “In the meantime, coal is scarce and expensive, which forces the inhabitants of eastern Pamir to use the wood of the teresken shrub for cooking and heating,” the researcher said.
“If ten years ago, Murgab residents gathered teresken shrub for winter some 20-25 kilometers of their houses, now they have to travel at least 70-80 kilometers to gather teresken shrub,” Dr. Aqnazarov said, pointing to the necessity of taking urgent measures to conserve and regenerate the teresken shrub.
According to experts, to conserve the teresken shrub it is necessary to develop methods to improve livestock productivity and sustainable pasture management, increase the energy efficiency of cooking and heating in order to reduce energy consumption and promoting alternative energy sources, and foster the production of cheese, wool and leather products to develop new, alternative sources of income.
