Dirty Water, Muddied Politics: Hybridisation of Local and National Opposition to Kumtor Mine, Kyrgyzstan

Horrocks-Taylor, Joseph

doi:10.3390/land7020042

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Climate change-related environmental risks, such as droughts and floods, land-use changes, food and water insecurity, have been perceived as a threat multiplier and a ticking bomb that could trigger conflicts (from local to international level in regions vulnerable to climate change [13]. Recent research identifies a number of emerging or long-lasting disputes related to natural resources that are threatening to descend into full-blown conflict [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts

Zikos

2020

Sustainability

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The study of conflicts over natural resources is neither governed by a coherent set of theories nor limited by strict disciplinary boundaries. Rather, it encompasses a multitude of conceptions grounded within a wide array of disciplines and epistemological assumptions concerning the links between institutional change and conflicts, often concluding in contradictory propositions. This article aims at providing conceptual guidance for the special issue, by reviewing institutional research with a particular focus on institutional change and associated conflicts and drawing some implications from transformative settings. More specifically, the paper explores certain propositions and concepts utilised by institutional economists to explain why conflicts persist despite institutional reforms explicitly or implicitly introduced to resolve them. The author revisits diverse cases from different regions to investigate key concepts related to institutional change and its implications on environmental conflicts associated to transformations, complementing this view from a political science perspective. The paper concludes by offering an overview of factors identified as instrumental in understanding the institutional change and conflict–cooperation continuum.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts

Zikos

2020

Sustainability

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“…Without OT, Khanbogd soum would be similar to other Mongolian regions; part of the influence of the mega-mine has been to reconfigure basic conceptions of herding practice and sustainability. As Horrocks-Taylor (2018) [52] points out, in Kyrgyzstan, mining's apparent economic benefits come at a risk to environments and livelihoods. In addition to detrimental mining effects (fragmentation, land take), potential overgrazing, increased livestock density and intensification (e.g., at water points) present significant pasture pressures.…”

Section: Deserting Herding In the Gobi?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Herd It in the Gobi: Deserting Pastoralism?

Sternberg

Mayaud

Ahearn

2022

Land

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Global drylands host more than USD 1 trillion in resource extraction investments, which serve to reconfigure communities and landscapes. In Mongolia’s Gobi Desert mega-mining brings social challenges and environmental changes that question if nomadic herding and mining can co-exist. Whilst company and community conflict are common, nascent frameworks and mediation models suggest alternate ways to resolve the mining–community conundrum. Here we investigate environmental transformations that herders encounter in the presence of the Oyu Tolgoi mega-mine in Mongolia’s Khanbogd soum (district). Using socio-economic and physical data collected through interviews, field studies and climate records, we assessed local engagement and adaptation to large-scale mining. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods enabled us to examine the implications of mining for herder lives and lands in an integrated way. This study presents a holistic assessment of the roles of herders, governments and mines in reshaping pastoralism. In our chosen case study, we find that—contrary to common narratives—mining and herding can, and do, coexist in Khanbogd soum, though ongoing challenges exist which deserve critical attention.

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“…The increasingly contested nature of the Belt and Road Initiative in the region reflects a widespread belief about the additional (non-economic) impacts the program engenders. This started with concerns about water pollution and environmental degradation at mines [27], the use of tens of thousands Chinese workers rather than legally required 90% local staff [4,19] and perceived takeover and control of agricultural land in Kazakhstan [20,28]. Public perception of limited benefits from Chinese investment leads to greater examination of the unstated realms and implications of BRI.…”

Section: Bri In Central Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Does China’s Belt and Road Initiative Threaten Food Security in Central Asia?

Sternberg

McCarthy

Hoshino

2020

Water

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China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) needs little introduction; the infrastructure investment will reconfigure development in Central Asia. As its origin story and initial encounter, Central Asia offers a prismatic lens to delve into the vital impacts and significant changes wrought by the BRI. In the dryland region, the BRI impact on watersheds and agriculture is a critical challenge with direct implications for food security. Framed by diverse research sources, we utilized spatial datasets from the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative and the World Bank to explore the intersection of food production, water and development. Investigation evaluates the possible trade-offs that Chinese infrastructure investment can have on the communities and environment of Central Asia. The findings identify more than 15,000 km of rail and 20,000 km of roads linked to the BRI crisscrossing the region in 2018. Whilst these transport corridors have improved connectivity, many of these rails and roads traverse important agricultural and water zones, creating undetermined risks and opportunities. Land use change was examined within a 10-km buffer around BRI roads and rails from 2008 to 2018. Railways increased by 23% during this time, yet irrigated and rainfed agriculture decreased whilst urban areas markedly expanded. Contextual research identifies how Chinese policies may encourage agribusiness investment for food exports as possible disruptions to national and regional food supply. However, to date Central Asia provides <1% of Chinese agricultural imports. In fact, Afghanistan is the region’s dominant export market, tripling agricultural imports >300% in this time. Similarly, five times more livestock are traded within the region than to China. Evaluating infrastructure change is essential to understand BRI impacts on environments and societies, with the food-water nexus a particular concern in Central Asia. Limited Chinese imports of Central Asian agriculture suggests the region’s food security will not be significantly altered by the Belt and Road Initiative.

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Dirty Water, Muddied Politics: Hybridisation of Local and National Opposition to Kumtor Mine, Kyrgyzstan

Cited by 12 publications

References 70 publications

Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts

Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts

Herd It in the Gobi: Deserting Pastoralism?

Does China’s Belt and Road Initiative Threaten Food Security in Central Asia?

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