Post-Soviet Transformations in Pastoral Systems in the North Caucasus: The Development of Hybrid Institutions

Challenges for Governing Mountains Sustainably: Insights From a Global Survey

“…The results mirror other studies in showing that local governance varies with local contexts, despite top-down governments and external pressures (eg Schermer et al 2016). The Caucasus cases illustrate this finding clearly (Gunya et al 2019). Thus, pathways toward sustainability for MtSES need to fit local contexts, as well as the range of external conditions that affect local opportunities and vulnerabilities.…”

“…These hybrid arrangements largely determined local communities' ability to access resources like tourism and influenced the formation of local elites (Koehler and Z€ urcher 2003). Today, North Caucasus municipalities are heterogeneous, with diverse institutions aiming to ensure that governance works for local people (Gunya et al 2019). The heterogeneity rarely results from transparent and formalized local procedures; rather, it results from varied and often antagonistic relationships between the state and the communities.…”

The Efficiency of Agricultural Land Use in Mountainous Areas: Mathematical Modeling

“…In the North Caucasus, the agricultural land occupies 1,350,330.00 m 2 , with the biggest areas in Stavropol Krai and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic focused mostly on growing cereals, fruits, vegetables, sunflowers, and sugar beets [51].…”

“…The need to move from state monopoly to Multi-Actor Management has been questioned previously, and the colleagues decided on taking steps towards optimizing the environmental legislation with subsequent coordination with land and civil regulations. The involvement of local communities (ethnic groups, tribal and family unions with close internal ties), in this regard, is deemed crucial [51,56,57].…”