Nature-Based Solutions in Mountains : Assessing the Potential of Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia and South Caucasus

Overview & Synopsis

This study focuses on six countries in the Central Asia and South Caucasus (CA & SC) regions: Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Their inclusion reflects both the World Bank’s strategic engagement in the region and growing government interest in nature-based solutions (NBS) as a means to strengthen climate resilience and reduce disaster risk. While these countries vary in geography, governance, and institutional capacity, the mountainous areas across the CA & SC regions share common challenges. These include exposure to similar climate-related hazards and persistent pressures such as land degradation, watershed instability, and biodiversity loss. A shared assessment across these countries enables knowledge exchange, promotes regional coordination, and supports the scaling of context-appropriate NBS across similar mountain landscapes. Hydrometeorological and geophysical hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and droughts, result in estimated economic losses of 10 billion dollars annually and affect nearly 3 million people in Central Asia (GFDRR 2017). Mountain communities, already vulnerable due to their geographic exposure, face heightened risks from accelerating climate impacts and socioeconomic vulnerabilities, with over 30 percent of the Central Asia population living below the poverty line (GFDRR 2009). Many highland areas also experience limited access to infrastructure and basic services, increasing the appeal of NBS as cost-effective, multifunctional interventions.