Far East: Uzbekistan's New Vision for Combating Desertification
Florian Gaertner
In order to combat desertification, Uzbekistan launched a new plan of developing a “desert economy” from 2026 to 2030, aiming to restore 1.27 million hectares of forests. The plan also includes planting protective forest belts on 16,000 hectares in desert, mountainous, and foothill areas.
According to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in the Surkhandarya region, the new plan includes the construction of an 84-kilometer "green wall", covering 10,000 hectares. In the meantime, using the terracing method in mountainous and foothill areas, more trees and shrubs will be planted, with adaptation of modern agrotechnologies on degraded land. The terracing method transforms steep slopes into a series of flat or slightly sloping steps, which is known for its function of reducing water runoff. In Uzbekistan, as the flow of rainwater slows down, more water can thoroughly infiltrate the soil, and the environment becomes more suitable for root development.
Under the plan, the state hopes to decrease 51.2 thousand tons of atmospheric pollutants’ emission, while reducing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 50%. Additionally, the plan established goals to reduce construction dust by 80%, vehicle emissions by 50%, and the volume of waste sent to landfills to half as in 2026. In the country’s populated areas, green spaces are planned to compose at least 30% of the total area.
Uzbekistan’s Geography
Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian state to border all of the other four: Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan to the north, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east. Other than Liechtenstein, Uzbekistan is the only"doubly landlocked" country in the world – a country surrounded by other landlocked countries.
Desert topography comprises almost 80% of Uzbekistan's territory, namely, the Kyzylkum desert. The Kyzylkum is one of the world's largest sand deserts, and it’s characterized by sparse vegetation, saline soils, extremely hot summers that often exceed 40°C (104°F), and very little and low annual precipitation, with an average of 100 to 200 millimeters.
Water resources are unevenly distributed in the country, which contributes to the shortage and instability of supply in most areas. Unlike others with abundant rainfall, Uzbekistan relies heavily on two major sources: the Amu Darya River and Syr Darya River. Furthermore, these two rivers originate in the glaciers and mountains of neighboring countries, like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, meaning Uzbekistan primarily depends on transboundary water resources rather than water generated within its own borders.
Moreover, Uzbekistan’s water availability is increasingly threatened by climate change, with rising temperatures and longer durations of droughts; the speed of glacier melting in upstream mountain regions is now accelerating. In the end, Uzbekistan's naturally dry environment is becoming more and more vulnerable.
As one of Central Asia's driest countries, Uzbekistan faces persistent challenges from desertification and water scarcity. In response, the government has been actively developing strategies that combine environmental recovery with economic development. Instead of adapting traditional forestry practices, Uzbekistan emphasizes restoration methods suitable for dryland environments.
A Desert Economy
Aiming to build a desert economy, Uzbekistan is starting reforms in different sectors. As part of the green infrastructure, at least four artificial lakes and reservoirs will be created in Samarkand, one of the biggest cities in the nation. In Samarkand, 10 new fountains will be built, along with the modernization of existing fountains. In addition, a 319-kilometer irrigation canal system will be constructed.
In the transportation sector, 50 modern high-capacity electric buses will be purchased, 150 new traffic lights will be installed at intersections, and the country is planning to transition public transport and taxi services to electric vehicles by 2030.
In the tourism sector, a "Park & Ride" system will be introduced, with a new prioritization of “walking while traveling”. There will be more green tourist zones with pedestrian priority, and private vehicle access to the city center will be reduced. At the same time, the country developed a brand called "Green Samarkand" and a rating system called "Green Hotels Samarkand", along with the "Samarkand City Biodiversity Index" methodology and the "Let's Preserve Biodiversity" volunteer program. As a first step, the city of Samarkand will become a center of ecotourism and green investment.
In general, Uzbekistan’s "desert economy" strategy seeks to restore degraded land while creating sustainable economic opportunities. For instance, the state is now cultivating more Halophytes on saline and degraded land. As Halophytes are plants that naturally thrive in highly saline soils, they are perfect to stabilize sandy soils and preventing the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Meanwhile, the country is developing saline agriculture, which refers to a farming system that utilizes salt-tolerant crops on saline soils, and the immediate outcome of adopting saline agriculture is a decline in dependence on water-intensive crops, especially in highly degraded regions.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan’s measures under the 2026 - 2030 plan reflect a broader strategy of aligning ecological restoration with economic development. Its neighbor, which shares the Aral Sea Basin, Kazakhstan, is also facing desertification. Both countries experience dust storms and severe water scarcity, while being heavily dependent on irrigated agriculture.
Yet, Kazakhstan is developing a different method to combat climate change and desertification.
Kazakhstan has focused on reviving the Northern Aral Sea through hydraulic engineering, most notably the Kok-Aral Dam funded by the World Bank, which has raised water levels, reduced salinity, and restored local fisheries. Uzbekistan, by contrast, has accepted the idea that much of the Southern Aral Sea cannot be recovered; therefore the nation doesn’t endeavor to refill the basin. The new 2026 - 2030 strategy seeks to transform a desert into a productive landscape through halophyte cultivation, saline agriculture, and ecotourism. While Kazakhstan's measures set goals to recover water ecosystems, Uzbekistan prioritizes building economic resilience within a permanently altered environment.
In conclusion, the comparison between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan highlights that effective responses to desertification extend beyond environmental restoration alone, as the policy-making continues to target the support of long-term resilience. As climate change accelerates land degradation worldwide, Uzbekistan's "desert economy" offers an example of how countries can adapt to irreversible environmental transformation.