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

For information: The aim of the project "Conservation and Management of lakes, Wetlands and coastal corridors as the basis for a sustainable and land degradation-neutral landscape of the Aral Sea Basin supporting sustainable livelihoods" (Aral wetlands) is to improve the stability of ecosystems and livelihoods in the basins of the Lower Amu Darya and the Aral Sea by preventing soil degradation in combination with integrated management of land and water resources of productive landscapes around protected natural areas, key biodiversity territories and key ornithological territories.

Public environmental organizations, whose goal is to protect the environment, can and should play an important role in solving these problems. About thirty environmental public organizations of various fields of activity exist and successfully operate in the Aral Sea region.

The role of public environmental organizations is more evident in focusing the attention of the population on solving urgent problems and in shaping public consciousness. The public activity of the population in solving socio-environmental problems is directly dependent not only on the level of its ecological culture but also on such factors as the availability of legislation allowing participation in making socially significant decisions, awareness of residents about the ecological state of the environment, the relationship of public environmental organizations with the population.

The participants of the information meeting were the heads of public organizations of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as the Khorezm region, employees of relevant departmental organizations and higher education institutions, representatives (employees and experts) of the Aral Wetlands project, and the media.

During the event, the staff and experts of the project informed about the achieved results of the project, the importance of caring for natural resources, including for the management of protected areas. 

The awareness component includes special events in each target area, initially to raise awareness of the LDN and the importance of integrating biodiversity protection into agricultural practices in order to preserve local sources of income. As part of the work in this direction, twenty information and educational events are planned, organized in the areas of the Lower Amudarya and the Aral Sea Basin landscapes (Bukhara, Khorezm and Karakalpakstan) for farmers, shepherds, community members, representatives of educational and consulting services and local authorities in order to more widely disseminate and replicate the experience of the project on various topics.