The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Karakalpakstan, under the leadership of Chairman of the Zhokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan Amanbai Orynbayev, the Forestry Agency, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and eco-active youth, started sowing haloxylon seeds on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.
“This year we plan to create green spaces in the most vulnerable places, where winds with salt and sand come from. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev set the task of creating 100 thousand hectares of protective forest plantations. We plan to plant 150–200 thousand hectares. The Head of State personally oversees the issue of sand and dust storms, and now an effective policy is being implemented in the country to combat this problem”, said Zinovy Novitsky, academician and project manager of the Research Institute of the State Forestry Committee.
“The creation of forest nurseries is essential to solve this problem. This year it is planned to create them on an area of 150 hectares, where we will grow desert plants—Haloxylon, Calligonum, Salsola Richteri, etc., thereby fully providing ourselves with planting material”, added the academician.
For information, on behalf of the head of state, desert plants were planted in many areas during 2018–2023 with the participation of the regional administration, the Forestry Agency, and residents. Over the past 5 years, 1 million 730 thousand hectares of forests have been created on the bottom of the Aral Sea, and 17 thousand square kilometers have been planted.
In 2024, it is planned to create forests with a total area of 150–200 thousand hectares. Forestry has collected and prepared 192.63 tons of desert plant seeds for sowing, including 71.96 tons of Haloxylon and 120.67 tons of Halóstachys. Also, seeds and seedlings of such desert-resistant plants as haloxylon, Calligonum, Salsola Richteri, etc. are planted on an area of 2.7 thousand hectares.
Earlier, in the Muynak district and the Aral Sea region, it was planted 350 bushes of Cherkez and Kandym plants. The purpose of the “Green Covers” is to create protective forests, improve the environmental situation in the area, and prevent the rise of harmful salt and dust storms.
https://eco.gov.uz/en/site/news?id=3999
