A major new environmental initiative has been launched in response to increasing pressure on Central Asia’s water and land resources, the growing impacts of climate change, land degradation, and more frequent droughts.
The Central Asian Water and Land Nexus (CAWLN) Program, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the National Committee of Uzbekistan for Ecology and Climate Change together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), was officially launched in Samarkand within the framework of the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20).
Projects with a total value of $18.4 million will be implemented under the CAWLN Program across Central Asia. CAWLN aims to address common environmental challenges faced by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The region shares high-value ecosystems — rivers, wetlands, steppes, semi-deserts, and mountain areas — which are increasingly threatened by human pressure, climate change, competition for natural resources, and land degradation.
As part of the Program, which unites seven major GEF-funded projects, Uzbekistan is actively participating in the implementation of four key initiatives.
The first project — Strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management in the Amudarya, Zarafshan, and Pyandzh river basins — has a budget allocation of USD 5.84 million. It focuses on implementing sustainable water management principles, modernizing monitoring and data exchange, preserving environmental flows, and strengthening transboundary cooperation.
The second project — Improving Water Resources Management in the Syrdarya and Naryn basins — has a budget of USD 5 million. The project aims to increase the efficiency of water allocation, develop early warning systems, update water quality control mechanisms, and reinforce interstate coordination.
The third project — Supporting Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity through Integrated Land and Water Management in Uzbekistan — has a total cost of USD 5.6 million. It includes restoring degraded lands, promoting agroecological approaches, conserving rare plant species and agrobiodiversity, strengthening ecosystem services, and improving the well-being of local communities.
The fourth project — Regional Initiative to Reduce Land Degradation in Vulnerable Ecosystems of Central Asia — has a budget of USD 2 million. The project focuses on restoring lands in areas with a high risk of desertification, implementing sustainable land management practices, strengthening monitoring, and enhancing the climate resilience of local communities.
