Representatives of the five Central Asian countries presented their achievements in restoring degraded lands at the second meeting of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Sustainable Landscapes of Central Asia (RESILAND CA+) program in an online format.
The event took place on December 10, 2024, and was attended by implementing agencies from Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
During the meeting, the results of the implementation of the decisions of the first meeting, as well as the report of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) on the regional component of the program were considered.
The participants discussed key areas of further cooperation, including the planning of the Central Asian Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2025) in May 2025 in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). They also presented the interim results of implementing the national components of the program and agreed on key areas of work for 2025.
Bakdaulet Amangeldinov, Chief Forestry Expert of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, reported on measures to preserve the country’s biological diversity. It demonstrates Kazakhstan’s important role in global efforts to conserve ecosystems and biological diversity. He stressed the fulfillment of Kazakhstan’s obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity; the country established a reserve to protect the saiga population.
According to him, the country plans to increase the area of specially protected areas to 35 million hectares by 2030. Kazakhstan is implementing a program to plant 2 billion trees as part of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan; work is underway to restore saxaul forests in the arid territories of the Aral Sea region.
Chinara Berbaeva, Deputy Director of the PIU under the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic and Head of the RESILAND Kyrgyzstan project, informed about the progress of the project in Kyrgyzstan aimed at sustainable recovery and management of climate risks, including innovative “gray” and “green” solutions in the dangerous areas of the country.
During the meeting, achievements in the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable management of natural resources, and the introduction of climate solutions were emphasized.
Rustam Rakhimov, Community Development Specialist of the project “Restoring a Sustainable Landscape in the Republic of Tajikistan” (RESILAND Tajikistan), made a presentation on the implementation of the program, which covers ten pilot districts of the country. The program focuses on the sustainable management of natural resources and includes three key components comprising restoration and sustainable forest management. The project purchased tractors and forestry vehicles, created 142 joint forest management groups, including 355 households, and planted trees on 576 hectares.
Within the framework of the RESILAND Tajikistan Pasture Management Improvement Component, 63 user societies have been established in the region, appropriate management plans have been developed, and key infrastructure facilities have been built, including water supply lines, bridges, and boreholes. Initiatives are also being implemented to support women. They received assistance in setting up greenhouses and purchasing veterinary kits for vaccinating livestock.
An equally important area of RESILAND Tajikistan is the conservation of biodiversity, in connection with which enclosures for the reproduction of rare animals and additional greenhouses for wild plants are being built in the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve.
Bayrammyrat Durdyev, Head of the Biodiversity Laboratory of the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, presented the implementation of the RESILAND program in Turkmenistan. He noted that the main focus on land restoration was given to three key regions of Turkmenistan: the northern part of the country, including degraded areas in the border areas with Uzbekistan; the central part with sandy deserts; and the southeastern region.
Bayrammyrat Durdyev informed us that recommendations have been developed for the creation of year-round pastures and structures to combat erosion. He presented the structure of the RESILAND project in Turkmenistan and expressed his readiness for further cooperation with World Bank experts for the efficient implementation of the project.
The coordinator of the RESILAND Uzbekistan project, Bakhodir Kuziev, spoke about the results of the ongoing work in Uzbekistan, highlighting three key components: strengthening institutions and regional cooperation, improving the sustainability of livelihoods, and creating local landscape platforms.
The project, which started in April this year, has already formed a team, developed six landscape restoration models, and attracted 44 beneficiaries to implement environmental initiatives.
Bakhodir Kuziev also noted the importance of interaction with local communities and expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation on landscape restoration in the region.
At the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the RAC and the Head of the Department for Work with Conventions, Attracting Grants and Foreign Resources of the Forestry Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abduvahid Zakhadullaev stressed the importance of joint work in achieving sustainable development of all countries of the Central Asian region.
The final decisions to hold the next RAC meetings and to maintain active cooperation underscore the importance of working together to achieve sustainable development and protect the region’s ecosystems.
Recall that the RAC members are executive agencies from the Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The World Bank is an observer, and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) represents the RAC Secretariat.
At the first meeting of the RAC on October 10, 2024, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan was elected as the Chair of the meetings. The Chair is elected on a rotational basis. Each RESILAND CA+ participating country will chair for one year.
The World Bank’s flagship program, RESILAND CA+, supports projects in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as advisory services in Turkmenistan, to restore the region’s degraded landscapes by investing in the resilience of ecosystems, infrastructure, and people to the impacts of land degradation.
Additional information:
Irina Bekmirzaeva, Manager of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Program, CAREC, ibekmirzaeva@carececo.org
Dilovarsho Dustzoda, ReCATH Project Manager, recath_manager@carececo.org
