Uzbekistan’s bet: vegetation of the Aral Sea bottom

While the Aral Sea has almost disappeared in a few decades, Uzbekistan is implementing a series of initiatives to improve the environment and encourage local development by focusing on revegetation.

The disappearance of the Aral Sea is one of the worst man-made environmental disasters. Uzbekistan, in cooperation with international partners, is leading a number of initiatives for the rehabilitation of this stricken region.

From the city of muynik we go to “Aralkum”, a desert that was born from the drying up of the Aral Sea.  Work is underway to create a forest there as part of the state program initiated by the Uzbek president in 2018. One million 730 hectares have already been planted with salinity-and drought-resistant shrubs. The goal is to improve the ecology of the region.

Annually, sandstorms raise more than 100 million tons of dust and toxic salts from the dry bottom of the Aral Sea. The black saxaul, the main plant of the project, serves as a natural shield.