Degree of Master of

Success

The initiation of this reserve had five major outcomes:

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  The unique national and global biodiversity value and the mosaic of natural and cultural landscapes in the project area conserved;
  
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  Local authorities and communities have a better awareness and valuation of biodiversity resources and services and an understanding of the principles of sustainable development;
  
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  The capacity of local authorities and communities to play an active role in the planning and management of natural resources and development of sustainable livelihoods in place;
  
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  Types of land use reduced within the project area with negative effects on ecosystems and the basis established for the long-term sustainable development of the area in place;
  
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  New “inclusive” and sustainable human development-oriented approaches to the conservation of biodiversity in Uzbekistan developed and tested (UNEP 2007).
  

2. 
   CEU eTD Collection
   Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands came into force for Uzbekistan on 8 February 2002. Nowadays, Uzbekistan has two sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 558,400 hectares, i.e. the Aydar Arnasay Lakes System and Lake Dengizkul (Mahmudova 2004b).
Figure 17 shows boundaries of Aydar-Arnasay lakes site from the Ramsar Convention perspective. Ramsar boundaries are shown in light green.

Figure 17. Ramsar boundaries of the Aydar-Arnasay lakes site (http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Database/Searchforsites)

1. Criteria for Identifying Wetlands of International Importance

CEU eTD Collection
Among the main Ramsar criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance, the Aydar-Arnasay lakes site has been selected based on five main Ramsar criteria (International 2008b). To begin with let us consider a list of criteria for identifying a wetland of international importance and then to justify appropriate criteria for wetlands in Aydar- Arnasay lakes.
Article 2.2 of the Ramsar Convention states that “Wetlands should be selected for the List on account of their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology or hydrology” and indicates that “in the first instance, wetlands of international importance to waterfowl at any season should be included” (International 2006).
It has been discovered that there are two main groups of the criteria for the designation of wetlands of international importance. Group A of the criteria focuses on the sites
containing representative, rare or unique wetland types (International 2006). Only one criterion is included in this group, i.e.

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  Criterion 1: Wetlands are supposed to be internationally important if they are representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographical region. The group B focuses on the sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity. Four main subgroups of the criteria are included in this group, namely:
  

Criteria based on species and ecological communities:

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  Criterion 2: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they give support for vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities;
  
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  Criterion 3: Wetland should be considered internationally important if they support populations of plant and/or animal species which are important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographical region;
  
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  Criterion 4: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they support plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provide refuge during severe conditions (International 2006).
  

Specific criteria based on waterbirds:

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  Criterion 5: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they constantly support 20,000 or more waterbirds;
  
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  Criterion 6: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they constantly give 1% support to the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbirds.
  

CEU eTD Collection
Specific criteria based on fish:

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  Criterion 7: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they support a large proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contribute to global biological diversity;
  
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  Criterion 8: Wetlands should be considered internationally important if they are an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
  

Specific criteria based on other taxa:

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  CEU eTD Collection
  Criterion 9: Wetland should be considered internationally important if they constantly support 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland- dependent non-avian animal species (Wetlands International 2008a).
  

2.