In a step towards addressing the ecological challenges stemming from the desiccation of the Aral Sea, four expeditions conducted by the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission of Central Asia (SIC ICWC) have unveiled crucial insights into the dried bed of the Aral Sea, UNDP in Uzbekistan reported. These expeditions, supported by the UN Development Programme from 2019 to 2023, aimed to tackle the environmental repercussions of the Aral Sea's disappearance and the subsequent formation of the vast Aralkum salt desert.
Covering an expansive area of approximately 5 mn hectares, with 2.9 mn hectares situated in Uzbekistan, the Aralkum desert poses a substantial threat to the environment and the well-being of local communities. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Government of Uzbekistan has been actively engaged in implementing measures to mitigate the negative consequences of the Aral Sea's drying up and improve living conditions.
On May 18, 2021, responding to the suggestion of the President of Uzbekistan, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating the Aral Sea region as a zone of environmental innovations and technologies. Subsequently, in January 2022, the Government of Uzbekistan adopted the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Development of the Aral Sea Region. Additionally, a reforestation program initiated in 2018 has already covered 1.8 mn hectares of the dried area with saxaul out of the total 2.9 mn hectares.
To effectively guide further measures and ensure their sustainability, a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the environmental disaster zone based on scientific evidence is crucial. Hence, monitoring of the dried bottom was initiated, considering both natural processes of instability and intense anthropogenic pressure.
The SIC ICWC expeditions, conducted in four stages from 2019 to 2023, involved collaboration with specialists in ecology, soil science, hydrogeology, dendrology, botany, and GIS. Encompassing a total area of 2.7 mn hectares, the study spanned from Chink to the Kazakh border and from the water's edge to the historical sea mark.
Key aspects of the expeditions included the assessment and classification of soil, creation of a soil map, identification of potential salt and dust transfer areas, determination of soil cover formation conditions and directions, and research on the hydrogeological situation, groundwater levels, mineralization, purpose, and usage. Geobotanical descriptions of vegetation, plant herbarium collection, and assessment of afforestation dynamics were also integral parts of the research.
Building on earlier complex studies conducted from 2005 to 2011, the expeditions facilitated a retrospective analysis of satellite images from that period. This allowed the creation of thematic territorial GIS maps and a comparison of landscape class changes and risk zones over the past decade. Simultaneous remote observations and the integration of GPS data into GIS maps enabled the development of a concept for more accurate space-based monitoring of forest cover in the future.
During the round table in Tashkent, it was emphasized that the obtained data provided scientists with a unique opportunity to study the processes of natural landscape formation on a dried bottom. The completion of the study will enable the synthesis of data and the creation of a geoinformation system for the dried seabed, serving as a reliable foundation for future environmental innovations in the region. These efforts are directed toward establishing and preserving a natural environment conducive to human life and the well-being of flora and fauna.
The first two expeditions were carried out in 2019-2020 within the framework of the Joint UNDP-UNESCO project, while the next two expeditions took place in 2023 within the UNDP, UNICEF, and FAO "Empowering Youth Towards a Brighter Future through Green and Innovative Development of the Aral Sea region" Joint program funded by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security in the Aral Sea Region.
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