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Journal articleAgroforestry and Soil Salinity Management in the Aral Sea Basin, Uzbekistan
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Land degradation caused by salinity is common in arid and semi-arid regions across the globe, where agriculture is difficult to sustain without a proper irrigation. On the other hand, secondary salinization, which is also caused by poor agricultural management, impacts enormous lands with varying degrees of soil salinity. In the Aral Sea Basin, increased soil salinity has resulted in widespread land damage. In general, Uzbekistan is one of the nations with a high proportion of salinized soil. Although the quantity of saline land varies, areas in the lower parts of the Amudarya river are the most salinized, accounting for more than 90% of all irrigated land. This discrepancy is attributed to the hydrogeological characteristics of downstream parts of the Amudarya river, particularly in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan, which are situated in low accumulative plains with poorly drained alluvial lowlands, making these places prone to salinization. Agroforestry is commonly a financially viable land-use option for the environmental rehabilitation of salinized cropping fields in irrigated drylands, but farm-level afforestation programs face a number of socio-political constraints. The results highlighted in the paper show that the importance of farmer risk perceptions in making choices regarding alternative land use adoption varies. Overall, the study enables the identification of policy incentives for afforestation that may have a direct influence on the decision-making of prospective stakeholders. It is clear from the review that there is an urgent need for better land-use flexibility, improved land tenure and tree plantation ownership security, more agroforestry knowledge and training, and increased institutional assistance especially in marginal environments. Keywords: salinity, agroforestry, Aral Sea, land use options, marginal environment ID: 3623974 -
Journal articleWhy is artificial afforestation crucial for restoring nature? Studies on the dried bottom of Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.The Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest inland lake located in Central Asia, has reduced dramatically as it lost most of its volume due to the large-scale water withdrawal for the cultivation of irrigated crops starting from the 1960s. The desiccated seafloor has become a source of salt, sand, and dust transfer to the adjacent regions, negatively affecting human health and the environment by inhibiting the survival and growth of the vegetation. In response, to stabilize the saline sand blowing from the Aral seabed, multiple domestic and international efforts have been performed to establish vegetation cover with indigenous trees of Haloxylon species as well as other salt- and water-stress tolerant woody and herbaceous plants of the region. As part of the afforestation project supported by the Korea Forest Service (South Korea) in Kazakhstan, field studies examined the impacts of the afforestation on carbon stock and soil quality. The summarized findings are as follows: 1) growth of planted seedlings indicates the measurable sequestration of carbon, which ultimately help to estimate its contribution to climate change mitigation by calculating the atmospheric greenhouse gas reductions; 2) afforestation increased the soil organic matter content which is closely related to soil fertility; 3) afforestation improved soil chemical properties for plants and soil microbes; 4) soil amelioration effects by the afforestation were statistically similar to those by natural vegetation succession. However, the soil conditions in the natural succession area improved after almost 50 years versus about 15 years in the afforested area. This signifies the relative efficiency of afforestation activities and thus helps justify the investments made. Based on the studies, we recommend further research to raise the efficiency of afforestation in arid areas, thereby reinforcing ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation. Keywords: Aral Sea; afforestation; desertification; climate change; restoration; soil amelioration; carbon stock ID: 3615605 -
Journal articleModeling CO2 restoration potential of mangrove ecosystems in Pakistan to support urban green spaces and human well-being
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Abstract: Pakistan is facing major climate change challenges since in recent years, the annual mean temperature has increased by 0.5°C in the country. Karachi is the largest city and highly vulnerable to fatal heatwave events trolling maximum deaths and illness in recent years. Coast of Mangrove Forest (MF) plays an important role in daily temperature, local environment, and microclimatic conditions. It is a well-established scientific reality that carbon traps heat in the air, and now observing a dramatic rise in temperature. The study aimed to evaluate the vulnerability of the communities to heat-stress, and categorize the role of Mangrove Ecosystem Services to mitigate future disasters. Coupled models and GIS/RS tools were used to estimate the suitability of MF land-cover to categorize the latent status. Heatwaves during summer for three days were calibrated by the models which resulted that an inundation of CO2 stress factors, 250 (S-u=1.0) with a rise in temperature up to 44°C with 70% humidity causes more deaths under heat-periods. Our results linked heatwaves with climate warming and extreme weather events, aggravated by rapid urbanization, industrialization, deforestation, emission of CO2, degradation of MF, and land-use change. Moreover, findings revealed that there is a significant drop-off in urban greenspaces and growth in built-up areas during 1984-2016. In addition, the SILVA-model projected that MF around the city has the ability to absorb CO2 emission up to 55.4 million tons. SILVA-growth projected that 43.61% CO2 stock can be deposited by MF which contributes 19% of the ecosystem. Model showcase that rehabilitation of 30-mangrove trees per/100m2 possibly reduce the extreme tide of heat stress, tsunami, CO2, and improve the air-quality index of the city. This study provides initial assessment and policy directions to rehabilitate MF to promote sustainable cities and societies. Key Words: CO2, urban green spaces, disaster risk reduction, extreme weather events ID: 3471412
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