Developing sustainability: Environmental non-governmental organizations in former Soviet Central Asia

Former Soviet Central Asia has inherited severe environmental problems from the Soviet Union, alongside a range of social and political structures and poor economic performance. Subsequent political developments have been highly varied, ranging from the development of relatively open societies to highly authoritarian. A large number of environmental NGOs have been formed in all five republics, some from the Soviet period, but mostly in the independent republics. These have received some support from western institutions. However, while they are successful in undertaking a range of activities, they are often fragmented and have short-term planning and limited impacts of governments. Environmental NGO activity is complicated by the presence of 'quasi'-NGOs with official government support and, in some cases, by the direct participation of NGOs in election processes. Environmental NGOs play an important role in developing a more sustainable society in Central Asia, not least in promoting the concepts of civil society. However, their future development should not necessarily be viewed within western models of NGOs. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.