In 2014, the Mountain Societies Research Institute (MSRI) continued to build partnerships, capacity and infrastructure to enhance the resilience and quality of life of mountain societies in Central Asia.
Highlights include the launch of a new GIS laboratory; new papers in the MSRI Background Paper Series; and the successful completion of the pilot phase of our mobile digital library eBilim. Our first cohort of researchers from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan received support under MSRI’s Central Asia and Afghanistan Research Fellowship and are building important networks and a multi-disciplinary body of knowledge on sustainable mountain development.
Partnerships are critical to the work of the Institute. In 2014, MSRI continued to host the Central Asia Mountain Hub and began hosting the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Central Asia Office. We also directly engaged with community partners through the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Mountain Environmental Virtual Observatories project as well as our Learning Landscapes Initiative and other projects.
Read about these and other exciting developments: http://bit.ly/MSRI-AR2014
As MSRI enters its fifth year, with UCA poised to open its first undergraduate campus in 2016, we look forward to continuing to serve as a partner and catalyst to generate research knowledge, skills and resources in Central Asia and to building our own capacity as a vital institute of UCA.
Ismailimail 