IPSI Case Study Summary Sheet
Please submit this form along with your case study. We ask that you keep your responses here asconcise as possible. This information will be posted on the IPSI website unless otherwise requested.
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Basic Information
Title of case study (should be concise and within approximately 25 words)
The socio-ecological production landscapes of three ethnolinguistic enclaves in the Dagestan highCaucasus. Sustaining a multi-millennial agro-pastoral continuum - the example of Verkhnee Gakvari
Submitting IPSI member organization(s)Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia

Other contributing organization(s) (IPSI members and/or non-members)
Author(s) and affiliation(s)- Guy Petherbridge, Professor, Caspian Centre for Nature Conservation, Institute of Ecology andSustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Mahachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Magomed M. Ismailov, Director, Verkhnee Gakvari School, Verkhnee Gakvari, Tsumadinskiy District,Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Shamil M. Ismailov, Teacher, Verkhnee Gakvari School, Verkhnee Gakvari, Tsumadinskiy District,Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Murtazali Kh. Rabadanov, Rector, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan,Russia- Alimurad A. Gadzhiev, Director, Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan StateUniversity, Mahachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Abdulgamid A. Teymurov, Deputy Director, Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development,
Dagestan State University, Mahachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Saipov D. Magomedkhabibovich, Member, Committee of Agrarian Affairs, Nature Management,
Ecology and Environmental Protection, Peoples Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan- Murtazali R. Rabadanov, Adviser to Rector, Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Republic ofDagestan, Russia- Madina G. Daudova, Editor, South of Russia, Ecology, Development, Institute of Ecology andSustainable Development, Dagestan State University, Mahachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia- Abdul-Gamid M. Abdulaev, student researcher, Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development,
Dagestan State University, Mahachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia
Format of case study (manuscript or audiovisual)manuscript
Language
EnglishKeywords (3-5 key concepts included in the case study)
high mountain communities, sustainable agro-pastoral economy, ecological altitudinal zones, culturallandscapes, ethno-linguistic enclaves, ecology and education.
Date of submission (or update, if this is an update of an existing case study)
Web link (of the case study or lead organization if

23.11.2021

available for more information)

Geographical Information
Country (where site(s) or activities described in the case study are located – can be multiple, or even “global”)
RussiaLocation(s) (within the country or countries – leave blank if specific location(s) cannot be identified)Tsumadinskiy District, Republic of DagestanLongitude/latitude or Google Maps link (if location is identified) ??????
Ecosystem(s) (please place an “x” in all appropriate boxes)
Forestx
GrasslandxAgriculturalx
In-land water
CoastalDryland
Mountainx
Urban/peri-urban
Other (Please specify)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area (within 50 words)
Occupying tributary valleys flowing into the upper Andiiskoe Koisu (River) in the south-western highCaucasus of Dagestan are the Godoberi, Chamalal and Bagulal ethnolinguistic communities. Theirterritories are characterized by ecological-functional altitudinal zones from sub-alpine to alpine which
for some 6-8 millennia have nurtured human settlement through sustainable subsistence agropastoralism.
Description of human-nature interactions in the area (land-use, traditional resource management practices etc. – within 50words)

The Godoberi, Chamalal and Bagulal communities have optimised the sustainable subsistence
potential of their natural environment through the cultivation of core cropland zones of rich post-glacialsoils, the raising of animals on adjacent pastures and utilising nearby forest resources for fuel, building
materials, manufacture of implements, food and traditional medicines.

Contents
Note: The following fields are used for information about activities described in the case study or the production of the case study itself,and contents may vary depending on the nature of the case study. For example, a case study about on-the-ground activities may include
the rationale, objectives etc. for the activities; a case study about a SEPLS-related policy may describe the policymaking process; or a casestudy describing a SEPLS may address particular practices used there. Please make an effort to fill as many fields as possible.

Status (“ongoing” or “completed”)
ongoing
Period (MM/YY to MM/YY)
01/20 to 09/21
Rationale (why activities or policies described, or information shared in the case study are needed – within 50 words)
Dagestan’s Tsumadinskiy District economy generates insufficient revenue to sustain its population
independently. However, its traditional mountain communities pursuing subsistence agriculture within
unique cultural landscapes, present significant potential for developing sustainable eco-culturaltourism, organic agriculture, dairy and meat production and natural food resources, which requires
appropriately educated local human resources and support infrastructure.
Objectives (goals of activities or policies described, or of producing the case study – within 50 words)
This study examines the characteristics of the landscapes of the upper Andiiskoe Koisu which enabled
its long continuum of human occupation and the contribution of structured systems of public educationin sustaining collective environmental management in three ethnolinguistic enclaves with a particularfocus on the exemplary contributions of the Verkhnee Gakvari community.
Activities and/or practices employed (within 50 words)

The case study involved an extensive review of the relevant literature and on-line resources.
Communities were visited across the region and discussions were undertaken with theirrepresentatives, as well as with other stakeholders. A particular emphasis was placed on
environmental education in schools and its impact in sustaining socio-ecological production
landscapes.
Results (within 50 words)
This case study has enabled a fuller understanding of the ways these communities have sustained
their natural environments and cultural landscapes. It has already engendered support for its
developmental objectives from state authorities, including Dagestan State University’s new community
engagement initiative, The University of the People, in the Tsumadinskiy District.
Lessons learned (factors in success or failure, challenges and opportunities – within 40 words)
The study (a) indicates the degree to which these communities are knowledgeable about the needs ofthe natural environments which sustain them and (b) the role which structured ecological education ofchildren can play in the sustainable use of their environment.
Key messages (within 40 words)
Traditional rural agricultural communities such as those studied here understand in considerable
depth the natural environment in which they live and work but are often not sufficiently assisted byauthorities in promoting and implementing its protection and sustainable utilisation for economicdevelopment.
Relationship to other IPSI activities (if the case study is related to any other IPSI collaborative activities, case studies, etc.)
Clearly, there are elements of this study which are related to a number of published IPSI case studies,
especially those involving high mountain areas.
Funding (any relevant information about funding of activities or projects described in the case study)
Research activities and publication undertaken through the operating budget of the Institute of Ecology
and Sustainable Development of Dagestan State University.

Authors’ Profiles

This research was undertaken by a collective of specialists in both environmental management andcommunity development policy of Dagestan State University in collaboration with resident local experts
from the communities studied in the upper Andiiskoe Koisu region.
Professor Guy Petherbridge heads the Caspian Centre for Nature Conservation at the Institute ofEcology and Sustainable Development, Dagestan State University, where he is coordinating regional
conservation initiatives with other Caspian region states and researching the evolution of humaninteractions with the environment in the high Caucasus. He has been active in heritage research andmanagement in the Islamic world for many years and was previously: Director, Preservation andConservation Education Programs at Columbia University; Chairman, Heritage Central Asia, UNESCO
diplomat, Tashkent Office, Uzbekistan and external evaluator and global strategist for UNESCO’sMemory of the World programme.
Magomed Magomedovich Ismailov graduated in biology from Dagestan State University in 1983. Hewas then appointed director of the Sasitli school in the Tsumadinskiy District. In 1987 he moved back toteach in his home village and became director of Verkhnee Gakvari School in 2003. He has received
many awards for his contribution to education including the Award for Excellence in Public Education of
the Republic of Dagestan and that of Honoured Worker of General Education of the Russian Federation.
He is a member of the regional expert certification commission for biology and chemistry and chairmanof the sanitary and environmental commission under the village administration. He was the principalorganizer of the scientific and practical conferences "Environmental Problems of Tsumadinskiy District
and Ways to Solve Them" (2010) and of the “Ecology of the Mountain Territories of Dagestan:
Problems and Pathway to Their Solution” (2017).
Shamil Magomedovich Magomedov graduated in biology from Dagestan State University in 2007 andthen taught at the villages of Kvanada and Kedi in Tsumadinskiy District. From 2009 he has beenteaching biology at the Verkhnee Gakvari School. He has been awarded the Certificate of Honour of theMinistry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Republic of Dagestan "For ecological education of theyounger generation", the Certificate of Honour of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation"for conscientious work, achievements and merits in the field of education" and also an honorary
diploma from the Department of Education of the Tsumadinskiy District " For many years ofconscientious and impeccable work, high professional skills and a creative approach to teaching andupbringing of schoolchildren, the formation of intellectual, cultural and moral development of theindividual, a great contribution to the development of education in the district and active participation in
the social life of the school and district."
Murtazali Kh. Rabadanov is Rector of Dagestan State University.
Alimurad A. Gadzhiev is Director of the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development of DagestanState University.
Abdulgamid A. Teymurov is Deputy Director of the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development ofDagestan State University.
Murtazali Kh. Rabadanov is Rector of Dagestan State University.
Murtazali R. Rabadanov is Adviser to the Rector of Dagestan State University and a researcher at theInstitute of Ecology and Sustainable Development of Dagestan State University.
Saipov D. Magomedkhabibovich is a Member of the Committee of Agrarian Affairs, NatureManagement, Ecology and Environmental Protection, Peoples Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan.

Madina G. Daudova is a member of the editorial team of South of Russia, Ecology, Development.
Abdul-Gamid is a student resarcher at the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development ofDagestan State University, specializing in Islamic ethics and the environment.

Contributions to Global Agendas
CBD Aichi Biodiversity Targets (https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/)
Please place an “x” in the “direct” or “indirect” boxes next to any of the CBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets to which the work describedin this case study contributes as appropriate. Note: please mark only those that the case actually has made or is making acontribution, not those to which it could make a potential contribution in the future.
TargetDescription
DirectIndirectBy 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take toconserve and use it sustainably.

xBy 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and localdevelopment and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated
into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems.
By 2020, at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated,phased out or reformed in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives forthe conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and inharmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into accountnational socio economic conditions.
By 2020, at the latest, Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps toachieve or have implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption and have kept theimpacts of use of natural resources well within safe ecological limits.
By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and wherefeasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.

x

By 2020 all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably,legally and applying ecosystem based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery plans
and measures are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts on
threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species andecosystems are within safe ecological limits.
By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuringconservation of biodiversity.

xx

By 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not
detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.

By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species arecontrolled or eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent theirintroduction and establishment.
By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable ecosystems
impacted by climate change or ocean acidification are minimized, so as to maintain their integrity
and functioning.

xBy 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine
areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, areconserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and wellconnected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, andintegrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.

x

By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation
status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.

x

By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and ofwild relatives, including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, ismaintained, and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion
and safeguarding their genetic diversity.

x

By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, andcontribute to health, livelihoods and well-being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into accountthe needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.

x

By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has beenenhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent ofdegraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and tocombating desertification.
By 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharingof Benefits Arising from their Utilization is in force and operational, consistent with nationallegislation.
By 2015 each Party has developed, adopted as a policy instrument, and has commenced
implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and actionplan.
By 2020, the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their customary use of
biological resources, are respected, subject to national legislation and relevant international
obligations, and fully integrated and reflected in the implementation of the Convention with thefull and effective participation of indigenous and local communities, at all relevant levels.
By 2020, knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values,functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of its loss, are improved, widely shared andtransferred, and applied.
By 2020, at the latest, the mobilization of financial resources for effectively implementing theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 from all sources, and in accordance with the consolidated
and agreed process in the Strategy for Resource Mobilization, should increase substantially fromthe current levels. This target will be subject to changes contingent to resource needs assessments
to be developed and reported by Parties.

xx

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs)
Please place an “x” in the “direct” or “indirect” boxes next to any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to which the work
described in this case study contributes as appropriate. Note: please mark only those that the case actually has made or is making acontribution, not those to which it could make a potential contribution in the future.
SDG
Description
DirectIndirect

End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainableagriculturexx

Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all agesxEnsure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for allx

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girlsx

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment, and decent work for allx

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, andfoster innovationx

Reduce inequality within and among countriesx

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainablex

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsxTake urgent action to combat climate change and its impactsxConserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, andhalt biodiversity lossx

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide accessto justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsxStrengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership forsustainable developmentx