Combating desertification and rehabilitation of the salt deserts in the
region at the Aral Sea
KEYWORDS
Desertification,
salt deserts, biodiversity, phytomelioration
COUNTRY
KAZAKHSTAN
OBJECTIVES
Aims of the project:
· Combating
desertification through phytomelioration of the salt deserts
· Development of the nature strategy for the region and
conservation of the biodiversity
· Resourcemanagement on the local plane
Before 1960 the Aral Sea was the 4th
largest inland lake on the globe with a surface area of about 68.000 km². Since
1960 the surface area has decreased drastically. More than 80 % of the water
body and more than 60% of the water surface are lost (sea figure
1). The Aral Sea no longer exists.
The separation into two smaller water bodies has taken place: Great Aral Sea
and Small Aral Sea (sea photos - Aral Sea). The area of the dry sea floor of the Aral Sea, called the Aralkum
desert, is about 44.000 km². The dry sea floor of the Aral Sea is a new
terrestrial surface. It is developed to a new geographical object, a new desert
that has a strong environmental impact on the surroundings of the Aral Sea. The
ecological situation on the dry sea floor is very changeable and the dry sea
floor is a large dynamic ecosystem complex. This process is comparable by size
with the Great Iranian Salt desert and is even larger than the Great Salt
Desert in Utah. The development of vegetation and ecosystems in the area
of the Small Aral Sea is different from the Great Aral Sea. It is to be
suspected that in the whole Aralkum and the surrounding areas the salt
desertification is spreading out. The present and future development of the
drying Aral Sea is characterized by the creation of salt desert flats. It is
high time for strict measures to minimize the salt dust output. First plantings
(Tamarix, Haloxylon, Halocnemum) were made (sea photos – deserts and phytomelioration).
During the years 1996 to 1998 a land bridge was formed between the island
Barsa-Kelmes, which was originally in the centre of the Aral Sea and the
eastern coast of the Aral Sea. The area between the island Barsa-Kelmes
and the peninsula Kokaral and Kaskakulan is now in a terrestrial developmental
phase. The island Barsa-Kelmes is one of the most precious nature
reserves within Central Asia, which was established in 1939. The natural
isolation of this Nature Reserve gave it a perfect protection , thus the status
of this area corresponds better with the international rules of IUCN for strict
nature reserves than any other protected area in Central Asia. However, in 1999
the island became accessible from the mainland. Without special additional
means of protection this former island will rapidly lose its role as one of the
most important nature reserves. The area of the nature reserve should be bigger
in the future. The strategy of the nature conservation should be development
for the region. Conservation of the flora, plant community and landscape
diversity under conditions of desertification is one of the major
problems of the Aral environmental crisis. The steps undertaken in this
direction have an arbitrary character, and are not based on the theoretical
positions established by the ecological sciences, so they are doomed on
failure. But the conservation and sustainable development measures are
essential and necessary to the success of ecosystem management in the region (sea photos – Biodiversity and Barsa-Kelmes
Nature Reserve). Two
small workshops have taken place: Vilm in Germany (März 2003) and Aralsk in
Kazakhstan (September 2003). Two participants of the project – Dr. Dimeyeva
from Almaty and Ms. Alimbetova from Aralsk participated at the DSE-Seminar in
Kirgistan (Oktober 2003).
The knowledge and information basis on the status of the ecosystems and land
degradation in the Aral Sea coastal region is still unsufficient. Updated
information and monitoring of land use and of the situation of the ecosystems
in the crisis region are important, since the ecological situation is very
dynamic and unstable (sea photos – land use and
desertification). Especially
the process of water loss of the Aral Sea, the increase of the Aralkum desert
and the spreading of salt desertification in the coastal areas and deltas
has become crucial. Degradation and desertification are threatening the people
of the area and endangering their basis of living. In autumn 2002 was carriyng
out the PRA-Seminar took place, where the hard life and the main problems of
the people in the region were discussed, as well as means for rehabilitation
and new economic sources of the stakeholders (sea list of the participants; photos – PRA-Seminar). The
UNESCO developed an initiative “Virtual Laboratories for Drying lakes of
Central Asia, Africa and Middle East”. University of Bielefeld proposed the
information exchange on matter of the desertification in the region at the Aral
Sea, especially about the problems of the new desert Aralkum (http://www.unesco.kz/ubb/viewtopic.php?p=131#131).
FUNDING
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry
for Education and Research (BMBF), FKZ 0330389. Additional support
has been made available by the GTZ-CCD Project in Bonn on behalf of the Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
TEAM
MEMBERS
Prof. a. D. Dr. Siegmar-W. Breckle (sea photo)
University of Bielefeld, Germany
Tel.: +49-521-1065524; Fax: +49-521-1062963
e-mail: sbreckle@uni-bielefeld.de;sbreckle@gmx.de
Dr. Walter Wucherer, Project coordinator (sea photo)
Tel.: +49-521-1065537; Fax: +49-521-1062963
University of Bielefeld, Germany
e-mail: walter.wucherer@uni-bielefeld.de;wwucherer@web.de
PROJECT
PARTNERS
In Germany:
GTZ-CCD Project in Bonn, Germany
Dr. Anneke Trux (http://www.gtz.de/desert)
In Kazakhstan:
1.Institute for Botany, Almaty
Dr. Nataly Ogar (sea photo)
(http://www.gis-terra.kz/)
Project coordinator from Kazakhstan
2.Nature reserve Barsa-Kelmes
Mr. Magzhan Tursynbaev (sea
photo)
3.Institute for agroecology, Kzyl-Orda
Dr. Khasy Zhamantikov (sea
photo)
4.Institute for Forest economy, Kokshetau
Dr. Vladimir Kaverin (sea
photo)
5. Forest firm „Syrboi Ormany“, Kzyl-Orda
Mr. Muchitdin Smailov