Once located on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea was one of the four largest inland lakes in the world. It began drying up in the 1960s due to the extensive diversion of its tributaries, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, for agricultural irrigation during the Soviet era.
This drastic reduction peaked in the 1990s, leading to the formation of the Aralkum Desert—a new 3.2 million-hectare ecosystem characterized by salty, polluted soils, severe water shortages, and frequent sandstorms.
The desiccation of the Aral Sea has had catastrophic consequences. The loss of this massive body of water, which once provided livelihoods for thousands through fishing and agriculture, has turned the region into a hostile environment.
The collapse of the fishing industry, widespread health problems among the local population, and extreme weather events have all contributed to a significant decline in the area’s habitability.
Professor Małgorzata Suska-Malawska from the University of Warsaw highlights the impact: “This was once one of the four largest inland lakes in the world, a huge source of drinking water, and an area where in the 1960s about 40,000 people worked in the fishing industry... [It] has [now] become inaccessible, hostile to life for people, animals, and plants.”
Environment woes of the desiccation
Previously, the lake was vital for maintaining the regional climate, and its disappearance has triggered more extreme weather events. The changing climate in Uzbekistan has resulted in severe sand and dust storms that travel over 1,000 kilometers to reach the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
Regarding the environmental hazards, Suska-Malawska said: “Since most of Uzbekistan is desert, we have a huge risk of dust collecting salts, which in themselves pose a threat to people, but also all the pollution associated with activities on the testing grounds and with cotton cultivation.” All the dust that blows around this plantless area carries both what nature has given and what man has added,” she continued.
However, Suska-Malawska and Professor Bogusław Wiłkomirski from the University of Warsaw Biological and Chemical Research Centre, working together with scientists from the National University of Uzbekistan, are now leading efforts to rehabilitate the Aralkum Desert ecosystem.
The project is funded by the Agency of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
‘Small afforestation’
Scientists are focusing on creating sustainable vegetation cover to stabilize the soil and reduce dust storms. By carefully studying the diverse geomorphological and geochemical conditions of the Aralkum Desert, researchers plan to develop “smart afforestation” techniques.
This involves selecting plant species naturally adapted to the region’s high salinity levels, such as tamarisks and saxauls, which can survive extreme conditions and help reduce soil erosion.
“You could call it smart afforestation. It is primarily about stabilizing the soil and introducing plants resistant to salinity of various types, mainly halophytes, which have naturally evolved to live in a highly saline soil,” explained Suska-Malawska.
Additionally, the project includes experimenting with different types of soil salinity to identify which plants are best suited for reforestation efforts. This approach is expected to gradually restore the region’s ecosystem, making it more hospitable for both plant and human life.
“Before planting anything there, one must understand the geomorphological and geochemical diversity of this place very well,” said Suska-Malawska, highlighting that “This is where the idea to develop geochemical maps of the Aralkum desert soils came from.”
With these innovative approaches, the project team aims to bring new life to the desolate landscape of the former Aral Sea and support the communities that still call this region home.
