Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Yerlan Nyssanbayev, met with scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography to discuss an environmental project focused on establishing artificial forest plantations on the dried base of the Aral Sea.
The proposal includes the creation of a joint Kazakh-Chinese center aimed at addressing the environmental challenges associated with the Aral Sea’s desiccation. As part of this initiative, Chinese scientists will visit Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region to evaluate ongoing restoration efforts on the former seabed.
Once the fourth largest inland body of water globally, the Aral Sea spanned 68,000 km² across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Its decline began in the 19th century when the Russian Empire redirected its tributaries to irrigate cotton fields in Central Asia. This diversion led to a dramatic decrease in water levels, reducing the sea to one-tenth of its original size by 2007.
Historically, the surrounding land was covered in cotton fields until the late 1990s, but it has since transformed into a vast, salinized wasteland. This desiccation has resulted in severe dust storms, which now occur ten times a year, compared to once every five years in the past. These storms, visible from space, spread toxic dust and pollutants over approximately 1.5mn square kilometers.
Kazakhstan has outlined a plan to combat this ecological disaster by planting saxaul shrubs over 1.1mn hectares of the dried-up Aral Sea by 2025. In collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and local administrations, 544,500 hectares of saxaul have already been planted over the past three years, with an additional 275,000 hectares scheduled for this year.
The wind-borne salt and dust from the former Aral Sea inflict considerable damage on surrounding areas, affecting both the environment and local populations. Each year, over 100 million tons of salt, dust, and sand are blown from the sea’s dried bed into the atmosphere.
The decision to plant saxaul is not accidental: this plant is unpretentious, survives perfectly in harsh desert conditions. In addition, one such tree can stop up to 4 tons of sand.
Sources:
- Daryo, July 27, 2024. https://daryo.uz/en/2024/07/25/kazakhstan-china-partner-on-artificial-forest-project-for-aral-sea
- Orient, Jan 9, 2024. https://orient.tm/…/one-million-hectares-saxaul-forest…