IMPLEMENTATION OF MEASURES
The Eco-Aral project implements measures for ecologically sustainable resource use in the Aral Sea region.
The Aral Sea region has been facing increasing challenges for decades with unusable soils and water shortages. Highly saline soils are no longer usable for conventional agriculture. Challenges that require new ideas. Our project provides innovative ideas and approaches to transform supposedly unusable natural resources into economic prospects.
For example, our project is introducing ecologically friendly Artemia cultivation in Uzbekistan. Where hardly anything else survives, Artemia also known as brine shrimp feels at home. Artemia is primarily used as feed in fish farming. Currently Artemia still persists in the remaining Aral Sea, where it is being collected for export. But the quantity and quality are continuously decreasing due to the decline of the Aral See and the ever-increasing salinity. It is only a matter of time before the current business model runs dry in the coming years.
Our Eco-Aral project showcases the transition to a new business model, by cultivating artemia in environmentally friendly constructed earth ponds. The saline soil and water, unusable for agriculture and humans, thus become an important resource in Artemia cultivation. Higher yields and improved quality should contribute to higher incomes and help Karakalpakstan position itself more strongly in the global Artemia market.
The project organized a study tour to Thailand with representatives from government and academia and have sent Uzbek professionals to Vietnam for an extensive training program on ecologically friendly pond construction and Artemia cultivation. We have contracted one of the leading Artemia specialists in the world to conduct multiple missions in Karakalpakstan which resulted in findings and reports crucial for developing a thriving Uzbek Artemia sector.
All findings are being compressed in an Artemia info-package to present service providers, beneficiaries and decision-makers a new and ecological way for constructing earth ponds and to cultivate Artemia in an environmentally friendly way.
More on our measures:
STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING OF ECO ARAL IN TASHKENT 2022-2023
Since its launch in 2020, every year the regional project of GIZ ECO ARAL holds a Steering Committee Meeting (SCM) to discuss the implemented activities of the past year and to discuss the plans for the upcoming year. The Steering Committee was established in January 2021 during the kick off meeting of the project with the aim of coordinating the activities with the political partners. On March 10, 2023, ECO ARAL held the SCM at Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Tashkent with 43 participants consisting of the political partners – Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan – and
DIGITAL MAPPING AND ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL SYSTEMS OF THE ARAL SEA REGION
On August 4, a workshop on “Digital mapping and assessment of natural systems of the Kazakhstani part of the Aral Sea dried bottom”, organized by the International Scientific Complex “Astana” together with ECO-ARAL project, was held in Almaty. The workshop was devoted to the results of the project “Complex research assessment of natural and environmental criteria of the Kazakhstani part of the Aral Sea dried bottom (ASDB) using modern technologies of remote sensing and GIS in combination with ground works”. Specialists from state institutions and research organizations dealing with the problems of the Aral Sea region took part in the
GROUNDWATER ANALYSIS ON THE DRIED BOTTOM OF ARAL SEA
During the period from May to August this year, groundwater analysis was carried out on the Aral Sea dried bottom of (ASDB). The study was conducted in the Kazakhstani part of the ASDB and included desk and field work on the study and mapping of climatic, soil and hydrogeological conditions with determination of the depth and quality of groundwater, mapping of environmental risk zones in order to identify the most favourable areas for reclamation. At the first stage of the pre-field studies, the available hydro-geological maps of the coastal zone of the former Aral Sea were collected, mapped and analysed.
CROP DIVERSIFICATION FOR INCREASING THE ECONOMY AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL QUALITY IN THE ARAL SEA REGION
March 11, 2022 Since 2021 ECO-ARAL in partnership with ICARDA implementing a project on crop diversification and saving irrigation water by laser guided levelling the land and scaling. The objectives of the partnership include: – Identifying the type of crop that is more profitable amongst cotton, winter wheat, spring wheat, mungbean, chickpea and pea – Improving soil health with legume in the rotation – Improving human nutrition at lower cost – Capacity development in mungbean seed production To implement the activities on fields five farmers in Karakalpakstan and five farmers in Khorezm region are selected for piloting purpose. From the
VIDEOSHOOTING OF SAXAUL PLANTING WORKS ON THE DRIED BOTTOM OF THE ARAL SEA
Since the beginning of this year, a video about saxaul planting on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea is being filmed, the initial filming was conducted in Almaty and Almaty province, where interviews were filmed with specialists of several organizations involved in the digital map of forest plantations, determining the quality of planting material, seed collection and storage. On February 15, a film crew went to the Aral Sea where, accompanied by the director of the Kamystybas forest nursery and the head of the operational headquarters, and filmed the mechanized planting of seeds directly on the dried bottom of
MONITORING THE RAMSAR WETLANDS AND THE SYRDARYA RIVER DELTA IN KAZAKHSTAN
The ECO-ARAL project together with public association “Baitak dala” in cooperation with the State Reserve “Barsakelmes” monitors and evaluates the current state of biodiversity of wetlands in the Small Aral Sea and the Syrdarya River delta. The study aims to identify trends in biodiversity change for use in conservation activities in the long term by the State Reserve “Barsakelmes”. Based on the results of the study, recommendations will be developed for sustainable functioning of the wetlands.From October 2, a group of experts began monitoring wetlands and assessing the state of biodiversity in the Syrdarya river delta. The monitoring is conducted
STUDY ON SAXAUL MARKET ANALYSIS IN THE ARAL SEA REGION
September 15-19, 2021, Kazakhstan. The ECO-ARAL project is conducting a study on saxaul market analysis in the Aral Sea region (Kyzylorda and Mangystau provinces) and the potential for development of commercial saxaul plantations and their role in the market. Mr. Yerlan Syzdykov, a modeling expert, held meetings with local executive authorities in the field of forestry, public organizations on the Aral Sea region development, experts in saxaul cultivation, representatives of saxaul nurseries and forest farms in Kyzylorda region, farmers who are considering saxaul plantations, representatives of companies for processing of wood raw materials.The purpose of the meetings was to get