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

The purpose of their visit is to film an episode for the documentary series Home: Asia, which highlights the biodiversity of our planet. The project is being produced for Disney+ in collaboration with National Geographic. The crew is now capturing footage of the wildlife inhabiting the former seabed of the Aral Sea—an area that has transformed into a unique desert ecosystem known as the Aralkum.
The team is focusing primarily on rare fauna that thrive in the region’s harsh yet striking desert landscapes. Of particular interest to the international crew are steppe agamas (Trapelus sanguinolentus), small lizards that now inhabit land once covered by water.

This collaboration with the BBC holds significant ecological and informational value. Projects like this help raise global awareness about the consequences of the Aral Sea’s desiccation and draw attention to Uzbekistan’s ongoing efforts to restore the region’s ecology and preserve its biodiversity.

This is the third time the BBC has filmed in Uzbekistan. During earlier visits, the team worked in desert areas of Navoi Region, where they captured footage of local residents as well as rare bird and mammal species. The current phase of the project focuses on the new ecosystems that have emerged in response to the altered climate and landscape of the Aralkum Desert.

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan is actively supporting this initiative by providing both technical and expert assistance.