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UNDP "Green Aral Sea" Initiative Continues Next Stage of Aral Sea Ecosystem Restoration Using Innovative Methods
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), together with the Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Protection and Climate change of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Forestry, in cooperation with the State Committee of Forestry of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, completed the next stage of the "Green Aral Sea" crowdfunding initiative in March 2025, planting 80,000 saxaul seedlings on 80 hectares of the dried Aral Sea bed in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Muynak district, Kazakhdarya forestry, Akpetki site.
As part of the UNDP project " The Project for Supporting Self-reliance through Climate- resilient Agriculture in the Aral Sea Region," with financial support from the Government of Japan. UNDP experts identified areas for organizing sowing operations. The selected site is located in the area between the old riverbeds of Kok-Darya and Kitai Kazgan.
During the planting operations, an innovative approach to planting saxaul was applied, which increases the survival rate of plants in extreme conditions. For the first time, the technology of soaking the root system of seedlings in a special mixture of liquid manure with clay in various proportions (1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 5/5) was tested on 20 hectares, which significantly increases the chances of survival for young plants.
The "Green Aral Sea" crowdfunding platform was created by the United Nations Development Programme on March 11, 2020, to restore the ecosystem and improve the quality of life for the population of the Aral Sea region of Karakalpakstan. All donated funds go directly to the purchase and planting of saxaul seedlings on the dried bed of the Aral Sea.
On the official Green Aral Sea website, each benefactor can observe in real-time how much money has been collected and how it is being used for planting saxaul with coordinates where the strongest sand storms are observed. The transparent mechanism allows seeing how even small donations turn into actual plantings that secure toxic sands.
This initiative aims to mitigate the consequences of the Aral Sea ecological disaster. Over several decades, the Aral has lost 90% of its area, turning into the Aralkum desert, which has led to deterioration in public health, decline in economic activity, and loss of flora and fauna in the region.
The dried bed of the Aral Sea represents one of the most challenging territories for forest restoration. All unfavorable factors are combined here: high soil salinity, extreme temperatures, almost complete absence of precipitation, and constant sand storms. That is why the introduction of innovative methods to increase the survival rate of saxaul plays a key role in forest planting in the region.
Saxaul – A Natural Shield Against Desertification
Saxaul (Haloxylon) is a natural protector of arid ecosystems in Central Asia. According to monitoring data conducted within the UNDP project, this unique plant has exceptional properties for restoring the dried bed of the Aral Sea:
One adult saxaul bush can stop up to four tons of migrating sand, making it irreplaceable for securing mobile dunes. In 7-year-old saxaul plantations, wind speed is reduced to almost zero, which prevents the spread of salt-dust storms. Each hectare of saxaul plantations annually absorbs 1,135 kg of carbon dioxide and releases 835 kg of oxygen, significantly improving air quality [1].
The root system of this amazing plant reaches 10-15 meters in depth, allowing it to extract moisture even in the most arid conditions. Saxaul successfully develops at extreme temperatures from -30°C to +45°C, which are characteristic of the Aral Sea region.
Innovative Methods to Increase Survival Rate
In addition to traditional planting technology, experimental methods are being applied within the project to increase the survival rate of saxaul:
In 2024, an experiment was started using the Japanese preparation SAP, which retains moisture in the root zone. For this purpose, 1,000 saxaul seedlings were planted with the addition of 15 grams of the preparation for each seedling. Preliminary monitoring showed that the root system of these plants maintains high moisture saturation even in arid conditions.
This year, an innovative method of immersing seedling roots in various proportions of manure and clay solution was applied on 20 hectares. This eco-friendly and accessible method can potentially significantly increase plant survival rates without the use of chemical agents.
Planting operations were carried out manually according to a 10x1 meter scheme, which provides optimal planting density for securing first-category sand dunes. Seedlings are grown in local nurseries of the Chimbay State Forestry, which guarantees their adaptation to local conditions.
Results and Prospects
Since the beginning of the "Green Aral Sea" crowdfunding initiative, the following have been planted:
- In 2020: 60,000 trees on 30 ha
- In 2021: 260,000 trees on 130 ha
- In 2022: 92,000 trees on 87.2 ha
- In 2023: 131,000 trees on 131 ha
- In 2024: 200,000 trees on 200 ha
- In 2025: 80,000 trees on 80 ha
In total, over five years of project implementation, 823,000 trees have been planted on an area of 658.2 hectares, which exceeds the initially planned indicators. But this is only a small part of the work to be done, considering that the area of the dried Aral Sea bed in Uzbekistan is 2.7 million hectares, the largest part of which is located in Karakalpakstan among Central Asian countries.
In September 2025, monitoring of experimental sites is planned to evaluate the effectiveness of new planting methods. Based on the data obtained, recommendations will be developed for scaling up the most successful technologies.
Each hectare of planted saxaul is not only protection from sand storms but also the return of life to a region that has long been considered hopelessly lost. The Green Aral Sea initiative continues to raise funds through crowdfunding. Anyone can contribute to the restoration of the Aral Sea ecosystem – one US dollar or 12,000 soms allows planting one saxaul tree, which will protect the region from desertification for the next 25 years according to the monitoring of saxaul planting conducted by forestry experts.
[1] Data provided according to the technical report "Monitoring of the project site for saxaul planting on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea," Karakalpakstan, 2025.
