«Creation of protective forest plantations on the Akkum ridge of the drained bottom of the Aral Sea from local trees and shrubs»

1. Introduction

  As a result of anthropogenic impact on aquatic ecosystems and changes in the natural regime of the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers, over the past thirty years, 90-95% of the tugai forests in the lower reaches and deltas. Poisonous aerosols are transferred from the exposed seabed, which are formed due to discharge into the sea. collector-drainage waters containing toxic herbicides and pesticides used in the 70-80s the last century. According to experts, in each hectare of the bare bottom there is a meter layer of soil contains from 100 to 300 tons of salts, and in saline depressions - up to 500 tons.Annually from the nude bottom of the sea, 70-95 million tons of dust, sand, toxic aerosols rise into the atmosphere, causing negative impact on the environment, cultivated lands, human health. With shrunken the eastern part of the sea has already taken out more than one billion tons of toxic dust at distances of 400-450 km, spreading on the territory of the Kyzylorda region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Dashoguz region Turkmenistan, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Khorezm region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.With speed one kilometer a year moving sand massifs formed on the former seabed, poisoning and destroying all living things. Wind activity and ecosystem degradation have multiplied.
 In order to improve the environmental situation in the Aral Sea area and environmental rehabilitation basin of the Aral Sea, the states are carrying out significant work to restore biodiversity and deltaic ecosystems, in particular by carrying out plantings from local trees and shrubs, the area which over the past 20 years amounted to 483 thousand hectares, which is equivalent to 9.4% of the total dry bottom area Aral Sea.
 Plantations of trees and shrubs proposed on the territory of the Muynak region on ridge "Akkum" with an area of ​​8.7 thousand hectares located in the northern part of the systems of lakes Sudochye and n.p. Karazhar and adjacent territories are designed to reduce wind erosion, moving mobile dune sands and preventing salt and dust from getting into the above mentioned objects.


2. Objective of the project

  The main strategy of the project aimed at creating protective forest plantations from tree and shrub plant species on the Akkum ridge of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea are:
    - reduction of wind erosion, consolidation of formed and newly formed mobile dune sands, will minimize the processes of deflation, which means the removal of salt, dust and sand from the protected territory will stop, that they will not fall on the Sudochye lake systems planned for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, as well as n.p. Karazhar and adjacent territories;
    - improvement of the ecological situation with the help of trees and shrubs vegetation that emits oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide and accumulates dust, which will lead to decrease in morbidity in the population above these areas;
    - the possibility of involving the assigned territories in the economic circulation by development of animal husbandry, which raises the living standards of the population.


3. Brief description of the project

 This project will be implemented in the development of the project "Development of the drained part of the Aral sea ​​on the basis of local salt and dust fixing plants (saxaul, cherkez, etc.)" developed Uzbek State Forest Inventory and Design and Survey Enterprise "Urmonloyikha".
  The total area of ​​the territory for the artificial creation of protective forest plantations according to consolidation formed and newly formed mobile sands is about 11.6 thousand hectares. Present time the the project is being implemented by the Muynak State Forestry Enterprise, and by the end of 2015, forest reclamation will be completed work on an area of ​​4.0 thousand hectares in the amount of 1,400 million soums. Since 2014, this project has been implemented Kazakhdarya GLOH, and by the end of 2014, forest reclamation work was carried out on an area of ​​100. hectares in the amount of 44 million soums. This project has been suspended for the time being.


5. Project location

 The site for the project implementation is the Akkum site, which is located in the territory of the Muynak area located in the northern part of the Sudochye lake systems.


6.Project efficiency

 Mitigation of environmental tension in the Aral Sea region by creating protective forest belts plantations from local trees and shrubs, which will ensure a decrease in salt carryover and dust in the Aral Sea region, restoration of biodiversity and consolidation of formed and newly formed mobile dune sands on an area of ​​8.7 thousand hectares.


7. Project executor

 Nukus branch of EC IFAS, Forestry Department of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.