Restoring the dried seabed of the Aral Sea has grown into a complex transboundary effort, far beyond localized environmental initiatives. Scientific research, international partnerships, innovative technologies, and local community engagement are shaping a resilient response to landscape degradation and climate risks across the region.
In our podcast, Zauresh Alimbetova — President of the public association “ARAL OASIS” and Member of the Board of Governors of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) — explains how the parched bottom of the Aral Sea is gradually returning to life. The interview took place during the Regional Dialogue on Landscape Restoration in Central Asia in Tashkent, where sustainable solutions for the region’s ecosystems were discussed.
Zauresh Alimbetova highlights how scientific approaches, international collaboration, and community involvement are turning degraded lands into new forests while bringing wildlife back to the Aral region.
Listen to the podcast (in Russian)
Podcast Summary
One of the most successful cross-border reforestation initiatives in which she has been involved in is the environmental restoration of the dried Aral Sea seabed, launched in 2021 with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project spans roughly 500 hectares of forest fund land on the dried seabed and focuses on planting saxaul (Haloxylon spp.), a key species for stabilizing degraded and saline soils.
Saxaul has proven highly resilient to extreme salinity and can trap sand and salt dust — up to four tons per tree — due to its extensive root system and canopy. This makes it an essential tool in combating dust storms, which threaten both human health and the region’s ecosystems.
A key factor in the project’s success was the use of innovative planting techniques. Alongside traditional methods, the team trialed a containerized closed-root system, developed with Israeli and Japanese partners. Using high-quality container seedlings boosted saxaul survival rates from the typical 20–30% to 78%, as confirmed by pilot projects supported by Japanese environmental funds and researchers at Kyoto University.
Securing water resources was another critical component. A deep well (up to 500 meters) provided irrigation during the plants’ critical early years and created a sustainable water source for wildlife. Consequently, the project area has developed into a new local ecosystem, complete with vegetation, water bodies, and returning birds and mammals.
Cross-border cooperation with Uzbekistan played a significant role, enabling an exchange of knowledge: Kazakhstan shared expertise on closed-root systems and local nurseries, while Uzbek partners contributed aerial seeding technologies.
Local community involvement proved equally vital. Within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) project “100 Micro-Nurseries for Aral Oases,” micro-nurseries were established where local residents — including women and youth — grew saxaul seedlings using the closed-root method. The “Freedom Shapagat” Corporate Fund purchased the seedlings, providing income and fostering long-term engagement in forest restoration while attracting local residents to the forestry sector.
Overall, the success of these transboundary initiatives stems from the combination of scientific rigor, international collaboration, adaptive technologies, water management, and community participation. This integrated approach allows pilot solutions to scale into national programs, creating lasting ecological and social impact.
It should be noted that the Agency for Increasing Forests and Green Areas and Combating Desertification under the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of Uzbekistan hosted the Regional Dialogue on Landscape Restoration in Central Asia on 9–10 December 2025 in Tashkent. Government officials from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, together with international experts, discussed enhancing regional cooperation in forest management and transboundary landscape restoration.
The event was held under the World Bank–funded Central Asia Resilient Landscapes Restoration Program (RESILAND CA+), the largest ecosystem restoration initiative in the region, which supports climate resilience across all five Central Asian countries through projects implemented by national authorities. The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) is implementing the regional component of the RESILAND CA+ projects in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Interview by Zhanna Khusainova, PR/Communications Consultant, CAREC, pr@carececo.org