ECOLOGY

Saxaul Trees: A Native Solution

A saxaul plant is a small, drought-resistant shrub or tree native to the deserts of Central Asia, particularly in countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. There are two main species of saxaul: black saxaul (Haloxylon aphyllum) and white saxaul (Haloxylon persicum). The UNDP plants both. They’re well adapted to arid environments, featuring long taproots that reach at least several metres deep into the ground to access water.

Saxaul plants play a crucial ecological role in stabilising sand dunes, preventing desertification, and providing shelter and food for various desert animals like longeared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus), steppe fox (Vulpes corsac), and tolai hare (Lepus tolai). Additionally, they are used by local communities for firewood, fodder, and as a source of wood for construction. According to the Green Aral Sea team, a single tree can fix and hold up to four tonnes of sand.

Planting Process and Timeline

Planting saxaul in the Aral Sea, via the Green Aral Sea project or a government-run initiative, involves a well-coordinated process. Local forestry departments and experienced farmers handle the planting, with crews of around ten people planting an average of five to six hectares. The optimal season for planting saxaul from seed is October–December, and January–March for seedlings. Once planted, they take root within a matter of weeks and live for up to twenty-five years. To ensure their long-term success, forest rangers monitor the plantations to ensure they’re protected against cultivation as firewood and livestock grazing.

If over twenty-six percent of a plantation survives its early years, the zone is classified as a forest, which is the ultimate aim of the Green Aral Sea project—to turn the Aralkum and other arid regions of the Aral basin into a verdant forest.

Soil Improvement for a Greener Future

While saxaul is a hardy plant and sowing the seeds is a manual process, the Green Aral Sea team experiments with innovative technology to boost the plant’s survival rate. UPL Zeba™ is one example, which is a starch-based superabsorbent “soil amendment”, which is a technical term for any substance that’s added to enhance a soil’s chemical or physical characteristics. In the case of UPL Zeba™, it’s a granular material and increases water and nutrient retention.

According to the manufacturer, it absorbs and holds water up to 400 times its weight, releasing it slowly as the plants need it. This helps to reduce water stress on plants, improve soil structure, and minimise water and nutrient leaching.The product is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, too, breaking down over time and leaving no harmful residues in the soil. So far, the results are promising for the team, with plants showing an eighty-seven percent chance of survival using the product.

Technological Innovation and Traditional Medicine

Beyond Zeba™, there are other strategies that may optimise the yield and productivity of afforestation projects in the Aral region. These include soil amendments from other manufacturers; liquid nanoclay; SkyFi for on-demand, near real-time, high-resolution satellite photos; Land Life’s water-retaining Cocoon; cloud seeding; and distributing saxaul seeds via drones or wind-blown contraptions.

Saxaul isn’t the only promising plant for the Aral basin. In Karakalpakstan, there are several medicinal and nutritional plants that the local UNDP is exploring for planting and cultivating, for economic benefit. For example, “sasiq gewrek” (Ferula foetida (Bunge) Regel) for treating bronchial asthma and tuberculosis, and “adiraspan” (Peganum harmala L.) for preventing influenza.

Additional Initiatives

In the 1970-80s, the Soviet Union tried to address the Aral Sea crisis through various ecological and hydrological research projects. Although many were discontinued or lost funding after independence, the Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan governments, in collaboration with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, aimed to enhance cooperation. Today, their initiatives have given rise to an array of high-impact projects or organisations in the region, including the Green Aral Sea project. Others include:

A Darwin Initiative-funded project, spearheaded by Joseph Bull from the University of Kent and involving multiple international partners, secured protected status for the Aral’s Vozrozhdeniya Island. They are now working on zoning efforts to maximise protection for endangered flora and fauna, such as saiga antelope — http://joewbull.com/ and http://saiga-conservation.org/.

Natalya Akinshina and Azamat Azizov’s project to establish honey gardens on the Aral seabed, with an aim of creating healthy bee populations to aid crop pollination and improve food security.

The World Aral Region Charity (WARC) collaborates with local NGOs, schools, and farmers to address the challenges faced by vulnerable communities. They focus on desalinating water through reverse osmosis filtration, promoting water-efficient drip-line systems to local farmers, planting climate-resilient fruit trees, and saxaul planting.

In November 2021, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev introduced the forward-thinking “Yashil Makon” (Green Nation) initiative, aiming to plant one billion trees and shrubs nationwide within five years. This effort will not only promote cleaner air in urban areas, improving lives and livelihoods, but also support Uzbekistan’s Paris Agreement commitments to tackle climate change.

How to Help

If you care about the Aral Sea region or Central Asia’s environment, you can make an impact by sharing these projects with your friends, family, colleagues, and on social media.

You can donate to the Green Aral Sea campaign and the World Aral Region Charity via their websites: https://www.greenaralsea.org https://www.aralregioncharity.org/

Text by Mathew Traver Photos by UNDP Uzbekistan