President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed a series of proposals aimed at combating desertification, developing a sustainable desert economy, and ensuring environmental stability.
Nearly 80% of Uzbekistan's territory consists of arid and semi-arid zones. Soil salinization, shifting sands, dust storms, and scorching hot winds present critical environmental threats to several provinces across the country.
In response, recent initiatives have successfully established over 2 million hectares of new woodlands on the dried bed of the Aral Sea. Concurrently, the national Yashil Makon (Green Space) project has overseen the planting of more than 1 billion tree and shrub saplings nationwide.
The presentation outlined ambitious new anti-desertification measures spanning 2026–2030. Under this blueprint, the state plans to cultivate and restore 1.27 million hectares of forest land, while creating 16,000 hectares of protective shelterbelts across desert, mountainous, and foothill areas. Specific provincial projects include establishing 10,000 hectares of green cover in Surxondaryo and constructing an 84-kilometer Green Wall along the border provinces of Sirdaryo Province.
The head of state emphasized that desert provinces should not be viewed merely as environmental burdens, but as landscapes ripe with new economic opportunities. To tap into this potential, directives were issued to expand desert plant seed production, livestock farming, eco-tourism, and scientific research.
Furthermore, proposals were advanced to broaden provincial cooperation with neighboring Central Asian states to tackle desertification, expand projects under the Green Shield program, and draft a long-term sustainability strategy stretching to 2040.
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