Photo: Forestry Agency Uzbekistan
Between the borders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea is shrouded in toxic salt and dust. As the Aral Sea dried out, the Aralkum desert emerged and today, the lakebed is caked with a toxic layer of salt and pesticide sediment. When the wind blows, this salt and dust can coat entire communities. Now officials from the Uzbekistan Forestry Agency and locals are trying to plant a new forest to curb the sandstorms and improve the ecosystem by planting desert-tolerant plants. Over the past five years, 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres) of forest have taken root at the bottom of the Aral Sea, on the Uzbekistan side. Within the plantation area, the vegetation slows down the wind speed, curbing the rise of salt and sand particles. Kazakhstan, home to the northern half of the Aral Sea, is set to plant saxaul trees on 275,000 hectares (about 680,000 acres) of the dried-out lakebed.
|
|
More:
