USAID ARAL SEA video

June 17 is UN Combat Desertification and Drought Day. Since 2000, the number and duration of droughts have increased by 29% and climate scientists estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population.

USAID is doing its part to combat drought in Kazakhstan planting black saxaul shrubs in the dried bed of the Aral Sea at a site called the “Oasis.”
Implemented by USAID Central Asia’s Environmental Restoration of the Aral Sea Activity, the Oasis is a testing ground for finding optimal conditions for growing black saxaul as a first step toward reviving the ecosystem in the region to improve human and animal health.

To learn more about the Oasis, please enjoy this short video!