Resumen de Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: Endless Border Conflicts
The growing scarcity of natural resources has gained political and social importance in a global context. Particularly in trans-boundary Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, scarcity of pastures and water has led to interethnic tensions. A high dependence on water and pasture resources in the border regions plays an important role for this conflict and has motivated violent outbreaks between Tajik and Kyrgyz border communities. Despite policies aimed at enhancing pasture and water management by establishing new institutions after the end of the Soviet Union, multiple conflicts among ethnic communities over pasture and water resources continue to exist. A lack of institutional arrangements leads to unequal pasture and water access and use in the border region of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This endangers the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic groups in the region as well as sustainable pasture and water use. This paper looks at the reasons for natural resource conflicts in the Kyrgyz-Tajik border areas, where the water and pasture grounds were previously accessed as common property
