On October 24, during an interview with local reporters, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Oshirbayev, shared the country’s ambitious plans to establish a tamarisk nursery on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea.

According to reports from Kazinform, Oshirbayev indicated that the government aims to plant 1.1 million hectares of tamarisk by utilizing the seabed, a strategy designed to combat wind erosion and enhance the local environment. He noted that this initiative was launched back in 2021 and is slated for completion in 2025. As of now, approximately 423,000 hectares have already been planted.

Oshirbayev also discussed the current survival rate of the tamarisk seedlings, which stands at about 30%. This figure is influenced by a variety of factors. To address this challenge, the government is researching the establishment of a dedicated nursery on the Aral Sea’s seabed to foster tamarisk seedlings that are better adapted to the local conditions, ultimately aiming to boost their survival rate.

Historically, the Aral Sea covered more than 69,000 square kilometers, with an average depth of 16 meters, making it the fourth largest lake in the world at one point. However, since the 1960s, the lake has faced drastic reductions in size due to the expansion of surrounding farmland, excessive water resource development, lack of water-saving technologies, and rising temperatures. According to a 2023 survey by Kazakhstan’s authorities, the surface area of the Aral Sea has dwindled to less than 10% of its original size.