Struggling with Land Degradation: Kazakhstan Battles Desertification
Desertification Threatens Kazakhstan's Agriculture and Environment
The United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) hosted a conference in Saudi Arabia in December, focusing on the global challenge of desertification. Kazakhstan, a country with a significant portion of its land affected by this issue, participated prominently.
Barron Joseph Orr, the lead scientist for the UNCCD, warned about the potential domino effect of warming-induced agricultural land loss leading to biodiversity decline, reduced living standards, and rural-to-urban migration. Kazakhstan, home to 272 million hectares, much of it considered pastureland, is particularly vulnerable.
In the Aral Sea region, the amount of eroded or erosion-prone land is considerable, with over 75 percent of agricultural land suffering degradation. Causes include poor crop rotation, lack of fertilizer, especially organic, and the impact of climate change and human activities. Desertification is a prevailing issue in seven of Kazakhstan’s 17 regions.
In western regions, increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall are predominant causes. In northern regions, intensive farming practices exacerbate the issue. Arid regions around the depleted Aral Sea are especially vulnerable to anthropogenic factors and climatic stress. Here, dust and salt storms have been a problem since the 1960s, spewing up to 75 million tons of salt and pollutants annually.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are collaborating to combat drought and sand and dust storms in the Aral Sea region. Their efforts are part of the ERAS II environmental restoration initiative, which includes representatives from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Uzbekistan's Ministry of Water Resources.
To tackle desertification, Kazakhstan's current zoning system based on functional zones defined by land quality, ecological condition, intended function, and special regulations must be supplemented with a landscape approach. This approach involves considering climate, vegetation, wildlife, community needs, and terrain for sustainable ecosystem use, particularly in areas prone to mudslides.
Overgrazing, inefficient water use, and the unsustainable use of grazing land also contribute to land degradation. Kazakhstan has 180 million hectares of pasture, but only a third is regularly used. The total area of severely and moderately run-down pastureland is 26.6 million hectares, a figure that continues to grow.
Kazakhstan pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 under the auspices of the UN. The country has also set strategic goals to combat desertification, although the current document is non-binding and largely advisory. A plan to plant 2 billion trees by 2025, many in the Aral Sea region, has been announced. However, the focus should shift from planting numbers to ensuring survival rates and retention.
Kazakhstan aims to be carbon neutral by 2060. While a detailed and viable plan for tackling desertification has yet to be seen, an incentive for creating digital agricultural maps was announced in September, building on the land monitoring of the State Institute for Land Surveying (GIPROZem).
Environmental planning in Kazakhstan would benefit from greater use of satellite imagery and datasets from Landsat and ASTER for accurate land degradation indicators and sustainable progress.
- The United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) highlighted the global challenge of desertification in a conference held in Saudi Arabia, with Kazakhstan, a country affected by this issue, participating prominently.
- Barron Joseph Orr, the lead scientist for the UNCCD, addressed the potential domino effect of desertification, warning about biodiversity decline, reduced living standards, and rural-to-urban migration.
- In Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea region is particularly vulnerable to desertification, with over 75 percent of agricultural land suffering degradation due to poor farming practices, climate change, and human activities.
- To combat desertification, Kazakhstan is collaborating with Uzbekistan under the ERAS II environmental restoration initiative, focusing on drought and sand and dust storms in the Aral Sea region.
- Kazakhstan has pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 and has announced plans to plant 2 billion trees by 2025 to combat desertification, with a focus on ensuring survival rates and retention.
- To ensure sustainable progress in environmental planning, Kazakhstan could benefit from greater use of satellite imagery and datasets from Landsat and ASTER for accurate land degradation indicators and informed decision-making.
