Wheat fields stretching to the horizon are a familiar sight across Uzbekistan, where the grain is more than just a staple - it’s a lifeline. Over the past 20 years, wheat production in the country has grown by a staggering 700%, ensuring food security and supporting livelihoods. However, this remarkable growth has come with a cost: severe land degradation, intensifying dust storms, water pollution, biodiversity loss, and reduced agricultural resilience.
To tackle these pressing challenges, Uzbekistan is working to harmonize agricultural productivity with ecosystem health, guided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which brings globally recognized expertise and tools to align efforts with international standards for sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation.
On 28 - 29 January 2025, Tashkent will host the Induction Workshop on Restoration Opportunities Assessment and Nature-based Solutions (NbS), bringing together key experts and representatives of national authorities across relevant sectors. Organised jointly by the IUCN and the Research Institute of Environment and Nature Conservation Technologies (RIENCT) under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, in the frame of the FAO project Food Systems, Land Use, and Restoration Impact Program in Uzbekistan (FOLUR).
“In 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and IUCN signed the Letter of Agreement (LoA). IUCN will perform the FOLUR project activities to support the delivery of two outputs of the project related to Public Private Producer Partnerships (PPPPs) on the ground for NbS in wheat-dominated landscapes and degraded ecosystems/habitats of high nature value in target areas in production landscapes put under sustainable management and restored”, said Sherzod Umarov, Assistant FAO Representative in Uzbekistan. This workshop is going to discuss solutions for landscape restoration and sustainable land management in 3 the project target provinces – Karakalpakstan, Khorezm and Kashkadarya”.
The FOLUR project exemplifies how NbS, supported by tools like ROAM, can transform degraded landscapes into productive ecosystems. By applying ROAM, stakeholders can identify the most promising areas for restoration and ensure actions align with NbS principles, as defined by the IUCN Global Standard for NbS. Implementing NbS interventions support restoring degraded soils increases fertility, reduces erosion, and enhances water retention.
“Agriculture sits at the heart of some of the greatest challenges of our time. As one of the largest land users globally, aligning agricultural practices with nature is critical to securing food systems, conserving biodiversity, and building climate resilience,” said Oliver Avramoski, Director of IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO). “IUCN is dedicated to supporting this transformative journey in Uzbekistan by promoting and applying the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM).”
This approach addresses agricultural challenges, such as degraded land and declining productivity, while delivering co-benefits like carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, and improved community resilience. It showcases a hopeful vision for sustainable agriculture, where nature-based interventions lead to healthier ecosystems and long-term food security.
“Through the ROAM assessment, we will identify restoration opportunities that directly benefit communities in the regions of Qashqadaryo, Khorezm, and Karakalpakstan, the focus areas of this project,” said Jusipbek Kazbekov, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change. “By promoting agroecological and regenerative practices, these efforts aim to build resilient food systems and enhance biodiversity conservation. We aim to restore 50,000 hectares of degraded land, place 350,000 hectares under sustainable land management and sequester 1 million tonnes of CO2 to combat climate change over the project period.”
The workshop will bring stakeholders together to explore these two strategies and tools while defining actionable priorities for Uzbekistan’s landscapes. Besides presenting ROAM methodology, the workshop will also feature training on the IUCN Green List, a global benchmark for effective and equitable area-based conservation. Improving management of protected areas in targets regions support ecological integrity and connectivity and ensure ecosystem services flow to local communities and farmers that of the country. Promoting of sustainable agricultural practices and improving management of protected areas with focus on integrated approach in land use planning and implementation of nature-based solutions will benefit long-term ecological and socio-economic sustainability in country. As Uzbekistan embarks on this journey of restoration, the workshop serves as both a starting point and a call to action: to safeguard natural resources, strengthen agricultural resilience, and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.
