The DMO Karakalpakstan team has started implementing a new project in Arbashy village, Nukus District, within the framework of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by UNOPS.

The project is aimed at restoring degraded land, promoting sustainable management of natural resources with the participation of local communities, and putting environmental solutions into practice.

At the initial stage of the project, together with Azamat Idrisov, Deputy Hokim of Nukus District, we visited Arbashy village and held a meeting with mahalla activists and representatives of the local community.

During the meeting:

      - a memorandum of cooperation with the mahalla was signed;

- the project and its main objectives were presented to local residents;

- suggestions and opinions of the local community were collected;

- the areas where practical activities will be carried out were inspected.

What activities will be carried out within the project?

A 3-hectare demonstration site will be established in Arbashy to test saxaul, tamarisk, juzgun, indigofera, and other salt- and drought-resistant plant species.

The project will also put into practice such environmental solutions as the use of solar energy, drip irrigation, rational use of water resources, environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, waste separation, and composting.

Particular attention will be paid to training local residents, farmers, and agricultural representatives in the use of these solutions.

The experience gained will subsequently be shared in the form of recommendations and practical solutions for application in other rural areas of Karakalpakstan.

The initiative in Arbashy is being developed as a practical model combining the conservation of natural resources, land restoration, and the creation of new opportunities for community-based tourism for the local population.