National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

In the current year, forest creation and restoration activities covered 150.7 thousand hectares. The main volume of forest reclamation activities was concentrated on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea and in the Aral Sea region, where 145.2 thousand hectares were developed. The largest area fell to the Muynak District, where forest plantations were established on 90.5 thousand hectares. Significant work was also carried out in a number of districts of the Bukhara Region, as well as in the territories of the Navoi and Khorezm regions. In other regions of the country, an additional 5.5 thousand hectares of forests were created.

In parallel, systematic work is being carried out to develop nurseries and strengthen the material and technical base of forestry. To ensure sustainable rates of greening, 979 tonnes of tree and shrub seeds were procured. In all forestry enterprises of the country, modern nurseries have been established on an area of 1,300 hectares, where 123 million saplings and seedlings adapted to local soil and climatic conditions are being grown.

Special attention is paid to preventing land degradation. In desert and foothill areas, protective forest belts were created on an area of 1,390 hectares, reducing soil erosion and wind impact. In mountainous  zones, forests were created on 41 hectares using the terracing method, which makes it possible to effectively strengthen slopes and preserve natural landscapes. As an additional area, the development of plantations of medicinal and food plants has been identified: on an area of 5,890 hectares, 7,918 tonnes of products were produced.

Within the framework of improving the efficiency of forest fund use, 4,842 hectares of land previously recognized as low-productivity were developed. In addition, 1,530 hectares of forest fund land plots were leased through online auctions, which contributes to attracting private investment and developing entrepreneurship in the forestry sector.

An important part of the reforms was the introduction of advanced foreign experience. For this purpose, 30,000 Broussonetia saplings were imported from the People’s Republic of China, on the basis of which new experimental plantations were created on an area of 100 hectares. In the Arnasay District, work has begun on the creation of a new halophytic garden of salt-tolerant plants: for this purpose, 1,315 kg of seeds of 35 promising halophyte species intended for saline lands were imported from China.

As a result of the measures implemented, the total forest area in the country reached 4.7 million hectares. These indicators demonstrate the consistent implementation of the objectives of the "Uzbekistan–2030" Strategy, as well as systematic work to restore ecosystems, conserve natural resources and improve environmental quality in the long term.