On December 14, 2021, the “Green Aral Sea” initiative was presented to about 100 students of Faculty of Foreign Languages at Karakalpak State University and Nukus State Pedagogical Institute. UNDP in Uzbekistan launched a crowdfunding campaign “Green Aral Sea” in March 2020 with the aim of planting a forest in the dried seabed of Aral Sea to mitigate the consequences of an environmental disaster in the region and improve the lives of the local population. By today, the total amount of funds collected is 50,000 US dollars for the planting of drought-resistant saxaul trees in pilot areas of the dried seabed. Another awareness raising session on the topic will be held for the pupils of the Presidential School in Nukus on December 16.

The disappearance of the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest inland lake in the world has worsened the health and economic well-being of the local population and negatively affected the region's once rich biodiversity. The Green Aral Sea Initiative will raise awareness of the importance of caring for natural resources and the efforts being made to mitigate the consequences of the environmental disaster. Moreover, the crowdfunding approach of raising funds to create a forest on the territory of the former sea, will improve the ecological situation and the quality of life in the region.

The presentation covers the following three areas:

1) History of the Aral Sea region

2)  Planting saxaul on the dried bed of the Aral Sea will have several positive results standing as a natural barrier to the spread of toxic salts and sands.

3) Ideas and goals of crowdfunding

The event is organized within the framework of the UNDP, UNFPA and FAO Joint Programme “Unleashing young people’s and vulnerable citizens’ creativity and innovation by strengthening their adaptive capacity to address the economic and food insecurities in the exposed communities of the Aral Sea region” financed by the Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan.