LSP Working Paper 36 Access to Natural Resources Sub-Programme Urban and peri-urban forestry and greening in west and Central Asia Experiences, constraints and prospects Ulrika Åkerlund in collaboration with: Lidija Knuth, Thomas B. Randrup and Jasper Schipperijn 2006 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Livelihood Support Programme (LSP) An inter-departmental programme for improving support for enhancing livelihoods of the rural poor. Urban and peri-urban forestry and greening in West and Central Asia Experiences, constraints and prospects Ulrika Åkerlund in collaboration with: Lidija Knuth, Thomas B. Randrup and Jasper Schipperijn 2006 Photograph by the Tehran Parks and Green Space Organization (TGPOS) This paper was prepared under contract with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The positions and opinions presented are those of the authors alone, and are not intended to represent the views of FAO. Urban and peri-urban forestry and greening in West and Central Asia This paper was prepared for FAO’s Forest Economics Service and Forest Conservation Service. The Livelihood Support Programme The Livelihood Support Programme (LSP) evolved from the belief that FAO could have a greater impact on reducing poverty and food insecurity, if its wealth of talent and experience were integrated into a more flexible and demand-responsive team approach. The LSP works through teams of FAO staff members, who are attracted to specific themes being worked on in a sustainable livelihoods context. These cross- departmental and cross-disciplinary teams act to integrate sustainable livelihoods principles in FAO’s work, at headquarters and in the field. These approaches build on experiences within FAO and other development agencies. The programme is functioning as a testing ground for both team approaches and sustainable livelihoods principles. Email: [email protected] Access to natural resources sub-programme Access by the poor to natural resources (land, forests, water, fisheries, pastures, etc.), is essential for sustainable poverty reduction. The livelihoods of rural people without access, or with very limited access to natural resources are vulnerable because they have difficulty in obtaining food, accumulating other assets, and recuperating after natural or market shocks or misfortunes. The main goal of this sub-programme is to build stakeholder capacity to improve poor people’s access to natural resources through the application of sustainable livelihood approaches. The sub-programme is working in the following thematic areas: 1. Sustainable livelihood approaches in the context of access to different natural resources 2. Access to natural resources and making rights real 3. Livelihoods and access to natural resources in a rapidly changing world This thematic study on “urban and peri-urban forestry” focuses on the potentials and constraints for urban forestry development at regional and sub-regional levels considering the current experience and future prospects of urbanization in the region that is expected to take place in the next 15 years. Experiences, constraints and prospects TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 1.1 Background ..........................................................................................................1 1.2 Objectives.............................................................................................................3 1.3 Material and methods ...........................................................................................4 1.4 Definitions............................................................................................................5 1.5 Urban and peri-urban forestry and greening ........................................................7 2. URBANIZATION PROCESS........................................................................................9 2.1 CIS countries........................................................................................................9 2.2 The Oil Economy countries................................................................................12 2.3 The Third Cluster ...............................................................................................13 2.4 Urbanization by 2020.........................................................................................15 2.5 Spatial effects of urbanization............................................................................17 3. PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE URBAN GREEN RESOURCE......20 3.1 Background and status of the urban green resource...........................................20 3.2 Constraints and challenges in planning and management..................................23 3.3 Education, extension and research .....................................................................28 4. POLICY, LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS................................30 4.1 Policy and legal aspects......................................................................................30 4.2 The legislative framework at national level .......................................................36 4.3 Institutional framework ......................................................................................43 4.4 Actual status and constraints of policy, legal and institutional frameworks ......48 5. FINANCIAL MECHANISMS TO SUPPORT UPFG ...............................................50 6. FUTURES SCENARIOS..............................................................................................52 6.1 Scenario 1: The ticking bomb ............................................................................53 6.2 Scenario 2: UPFG for poverty alleviation..........................................................53 6.3 Scenario 3. Strong economy and poor urban governance ..................................54 6.4 Scenario 4. The green and environmental aware city.........................................55 7. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE ..........................................................56 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................62 ANNEX: COUNTRY PROFILES .........................................................................................70 Afghanistan.....................................................................................................................70 Armenia ..........................................................................................................................71 Azerbaijan.......................................................................................................................73 Bahrain............................................................................................................................75 Cyprus ............................................................................................................................76 Georgia ...........................................................................................................................78 iii Urban and peri-urban forestry and greening in West and Central Asia Iraq ............................................................................................................................80 Iran ............................................................................................................................81 Jordan ............................................................................................................................83 Kazakhstan......................................................................................................................85 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia...............................................................................................87 Kyrgyzstan......................................................................................................................89 Kuwait ............................................................................................................................91 Lebanon ..........................................................................................................................92 Oman ............................................................................................................................94 Qatar ............................................................................................................................96 Syria ............................................................................................................................97 Tajikistan ........................................................................................................................99 Turkey ..........................................................................................................................101 Turkmenistan ................................................................................................................103 United Arab Emirates ...................................................................................................105 Uzbekistan ....................................................................................................................107 Yemen ..........................................................................................................................109 iv Experiences, constraints and prospects Acknowledgements This