Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Plant Saxaul to Stabilise Aral Sea Bed

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are launching a joint project to plant saxaul trees across the dried-up Aral Sea bed in the border region. Leili Seitova, Minister of Ecology of Karakalpakstan, shared the update in an interview with Kazinform.

She noted that the two countries aim to co-develop and implement solutions focused on saxaul planting, as the tree plays a key role in containing salt and dust storms. A delegation of Kazakh experts has already visited Karakalpakstan to study Uzbekistan’s experience in this area.

Seitova emphasised that fully restoring the Aral Sea is no longer possible, but protecting the remaining water bodies and reducing the environmental impact remains a priority. Since 2018, Uzbekistan has greened around 2 mln hectares of former seabed.

«Early forecasts suggested that saxaul would hold back around 15–18% of salt and dust. But actual results have exceeded expectations — the figure now stands at 35–40%,» she said.

Earlier, Kursiv Uzbekistan reported that a marathon to raise awareness for the Aral Sea attracted 10,000 participants.