From flowering tree plantations that will grow a beekeeping industry to the restoration of salt-dried landscapes, disruptive innovation could be key to rejuvenating the Aral Sea region.
The four grand prize winners were announced today during a virtual ceremony hosted by the World Bank, in partnership with the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), the Kazakh-German University (DKU), and Plug and Play (P&P).
A total of 159 proposals were submitted to the competition from 28 countries across five continents, with more than half of the proposals from Central Asian countries. A distinguished panel of 42 experts from the World Bank and partner organizations from across the globe evaluated the submissions and nominated 24 leading projects.
Launched in November 2020, the Disruptive Tech Challenge aimed to identify cutting-edge solutions to address land degradation and desertification challenges in the Aral Sea region. Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea has almost disappeared. With the support of the World Bank and its partners, the governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are making great strides in mitigating the environmental damage to the Aral Sea.
Date Time
Innovative Restoration Plans for Aral Sea Region Announced at Global Disruptive Tech Challenge 2021
From flowering tree plantations that will grow a beekeeping industry to women-centered training in natural resource management to the restoration of salt-dried landscapes – these are some of the disruptive innovations that won the grand prize in the Global Disruptive Tech Challenge 2021: Restoring Landscapes in the Aral Sea Region.
The four grand prize winners were announced today during a virtual ceremony hosted by the World Bank, in partnership with the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), the Kazakh-German University (DKU), and Plug and Play (P&P).
A total of 159 proposals were submitted to the competition from 28 countries across five continents, with more than half of the proposals from Central Asian countries. A distinguished panel of 42 experts from the World Bank and partner organizations from across the globe evaluated the submissions and nominated 24 leading project
GLF Live: How can we restore the Aral Sea basin? 02 Mar 2021, 12:00 CET, Online
Share this
GLF Live with Vadim Sokolov and Kristina Toderich
The Aral Sea in Central Asia, once the world’s fourth-largest inland water body, has nearly disappeared. Weather shifts from climate change coupled with decades of resource depletion from the regional reliance on water-intensive crops, has seen the body of water shrink to about one-tenth of its former size
– a water surface area the size of Ireland now nothing but sand.
The Aral Sea basin spans the western reaches Uzbek-Kazakh border, and its degradation has taken with it the livelihoods and local economies of some 40 million people. Additionally, a formerly thriving fishing economy has been replaced with the growth of cotton, rice and other commodities that often receive toxic herbicides and pesticides, which have leeched into the sea bed and led to a rise in infant mortality rates and cancer.
25.11.2020 15:48 7682
The EEC Council approved a project on strategic development of Eurasian economic integration, intended until 2025. This was reported by the press service of the organization. The project includes a proposal from Kyrgyzstan to work out the issue of introducing mechanisms and programs of conditional targeted financing for the development of catching-up economies of the regions of the EAEU member states. These recommendations are presented within the framework of existing development institutions, including by supplementing existing approaches to financing.
Uzbekistan and China intend to implement joint projects in the healthcare sector, including construction of clinics and pharmaceutical enterprises. As Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China Bakhtiyor Saidov stressed, these initiatives play an important role in bilateral relations. The diplomat also emphasized that it is planned to develop a concept of cooperation in t