Overview of NATO CCMS Pilot Study on environmental decision-making for sustainable development in Central Asia

An overview of the CCMS Pilot Study on "Environmental Decision-Making for Sustainable Development in Central Asia" is presented. This CCMS pilot study is focused on the following countries of the Central Asia (CA) region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The presentation discusses the pilot study objectives, historical information concerning establishment of this pilot study, technical issues addressed, and overall approach focused on capacity building, as based on declared Central Asian needs for education; training; and technical assistance (involving decision-making tools such as risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, landscape science tools, decision support software, structural/functional analysis, etc.). As a key accomplishment of this pilot study, the role of risk assessment in environmental decision-making process was addressed. This component of the pilot study was focused on risk assessment as a tool for water resources management decision-making in Central Asia. Water resources, both in terms of water quality and water quantity, are of critical importance for sustainable development in Central Asia, as well as in other parts of the world. Risk-based approaches can play an important role as part of the overall decision-making process related to sustainable resources use in the Central Asia region.