Agency for Increasing Forests and Green Areas and Combating Desertification

Uzbekistan was among the first countries to join the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The Convention was ratified by Uzbekistan on 31 August 1995 and entered into force in 1996.

Healthy and productive land is the foundation of a thriving economy. More than half of the world's GDP depends on nature. However, humanity is rapidly depleting this natural capital. Every minute, land degradation causes the loss of an area equivalent to four football fields.

This leads to biodiversity loss, increases the risk of drought, and creates global consequences ranging from rising food prices to instability and migration.

Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. It is alarming that around 40 percent of the world's land has already been degraded.

The efforts being carried out under the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) highlight the need to further accelerate large-scale land restoration initiatives. If current trends continue, 1.5 billion hectares of land could be restored by 2030.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has also been consistently implementing measures to combat desertification.

In particular, in 2026, it is planned to establish green cover on 251.3 thousand hectares across the country, including 115.0 thousand hectares in the Muynak district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.