RAPID COMMUNICATION A cognitive approach to the post-Soviet Central Asian pasture puzzle: new data from Kyrgyzstan Jordan Levine 1 • Aiganysh Isaeva 2 • Ian Eddy 3 • Marc Foggin 2 • Sarah Gergel 3 • Shannon Hagerman 3 • Hisham Zerriffi 3 Received: 27 July 2016 / Accepted: 3 February 2017 / Published online: 14 February 2017 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017 Abstract Despite internationally recognized definitions, there remains debate over what constitutes ‘actual’ degra- dation in various agro-pastoral contexts. This contention is especially pronounced in post-Soviet Central Asia. In this paper, we report on new interview data from the post- Soviet Kyrgyz Republic. These data evidence greater diversity of local perceptions of pasture degradation than previously reported. We then demonstrate how considering the role of well-documented aspects of human cognition demystifies the otherwise puzzling inconsistency in local pasture degradation narratives. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of this analytical approach for management. Keywords Pasture degradation Á Central Asia Á Cognition Á Post-Soviet Á Kyrgyzstan Á Self-concept Introduction The United Nations defines ‘degradation’ as the persistent reduction of the biological complexity, or productivity, of terrestrial ecosystems (Lal et al. 2012), particularly those that provide food to humans. Despite the nominal clarity of this definition, there remains contention over what consti- tutes ‘actual’ degradation in various agro-pastoral contexts (Bai et al. 2008). A prime example is post-Soviet Central Asia—Kyrgyzstan in particular—in which there are remarkable inconsistencies in both officially reported and locally perceived rates of pasture degradation (Robinson et al. 2003; Liechti 2012; Robinson 2016). On one hand, official statistics claim anywhere from 49 to 79% of total pasture in Kyrgyzstan is degraded (Kulov and Zhooshev 2007; Robinson 2016), leading to forage shortages and ‘overstocking’ (Rahimon 2012). This is despite the fact that livestock numbers in Kyrgyzstan have only recently rebounded toward Soviet-era levels (15 mil. head in 2014) after a crash from over 17 mil. in 1992 to a low of less than 10 mil. head in 1997 (FAOSTAT 2014). Robinson (2016) thus finds official degradation figures dubiously high and notes substantial inconsistencies in data both within and across different reporting agencies. In contrast, Liechti (2012) found that transhumant her- ders in Chuy Oblast, Kyrgyzstan, espoused an inverse degradation narrative to the one (re-)produced by Central Asian state researchers and international agencies. Editor: Nicolas Dendoncker. & Jordan Levine jlevine@interchange.ubc.ca Aiganysh Isaeva aiganysh.isaeva@ucentralasia.org Ian Eddy ianmseddy@gmail.com Marc Foggin marc.foggin@ucentralasia.org Sarah Gergel sarah.gergel@ubc.ca Shannon Hagerman shannon.hagerman@ubc.ca Hisham Zerriffi hisham.zerriffi@ubc.ca 1 Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC, 6476 NW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada 2 Mountain Societies Research Institute, University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 3 Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada 123 Reg Environ Change (2017) 17:941–947 DOI 10.1007/s10113-017-1122-8