On July 28, World Nature Day, the updated Electronic Geoinformation Database of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (ECODATA) was officially launched in Tashkent.
The new digital platform aims to consolidate disparate environmental data into a single system and create a modern information foundation for studying, monitoring, and preserving the country’s natural heritage.
The launch ceremony took place at the Central Asian Research Center for Ecology and Environment at Green University. Representatives of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, the United Nations Development Programme, Green University, the scientific community, international organizations, development partners, and the media participated in the event.
“The launch of ECODATA symbolically took place on World Nature Conservation Day – a day that reminds us that environmental conservation requires not only environmental responsibility but also modern tools,” noted Zhusipbek Kazbekov, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change. “Today, digital technologies allow us to see natural processes much more accurately: to understand the location of a particular species, how its population is changing, which areas are under the greatest pressure, and where additional protective measures are needed. ECODATA aims to transform environmental data into a practical tool for governments, scientists, specialists, international partners, and the public. Because effective environmental conservation begins with reliable data. And preserving our natural heritage for future generations begins with knowledge-based decisions.”
The presented platform is based on the principle of “data → analysis → decision.” The system not only stores environmental information but also allows us to see changes over time, compare indicators across regions, monitor the status of individual species and areas, and use the resulting data to make more informed management decisions.
The platform was developed by the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan as part of the Aral Sea Wetlands project, a joint project with the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility.
Before the creation of a unified system, environmental information was stored in various formats and sources, making it difficult to compare data, conduct monitoring, and prepare analytics. ECODATA brings together information on animals and plants, specially protected natural areas, forests, water bodies, pastures, nature management, and monitoring results in a single digital space. Today, the platform includes seven modules and over 60 interconnected tables, covering all regions of the country.
One of the key areas is the systematization of data on Uzbekistan’s biodiversity. The system allows for the recording of animals and plants, including Red Book species, tracking their abundance, distribution, and conservation status, as well as accessing data on state reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, forest and hunting farms, fisheries facilities, and ecotourism zones.
A key feature of ECODATA will be the ability to collect data directly in natural areas using a mobile module. Specialists will be able to record observations using GPS coordinates and photographs, and if there is no internet connection, the information will automatically sync once an internet connection is established. Citizen participation is also included: users can submit information about plant and animal observations for subsequent verification by specialists.
ECODATA is being developed not only as an information base but also as a tool for natural resource management. The platform will enable the calculation of quotas based on up-to-date data, the provision of certain government services electronically, and the creation of a unified database for scientific research and long-term environmental monitoring.
“Scientific organizations will be able to upload research and monitoring results directly into the system, creating a cumulative data archive,” added UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Akiko Fujii. “This will allow us to analyze changes in the abundance and distribution of species over several years and identify areas or species that require additional attention. ECODATA will also provide the information basis for fulfilling Uzbekistan’s international commitments in the field of environmental conservation. The system takes into account data and processes related to a number of international conventions and initiatives.”
Further development of the platform is planned: expansion of the mobile app, strengthening of GIS integration, implementation of automatic alerts for critical declines in rare species, development of analytical tools for assessing the impact of climate change, and integration with international information systems.
Google machine translated