Central Asian countries join forces for water resources

At the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP-20) to the CITES Convention in Samarkand, countries in the region launched a plan to help governments slow down the depletion of water resources and land degradation, improve water security in the region and manage resources sustainably. Initiatives worth million are planned with the support of the FAO.

Samarkand (AsiaNews) - Central Asian countries have decided to implement a major project to solve the region's ecological problems, called ‘Mutual Relationship between Water and Land Resources’ (Cawln).

It was discussed at the 20th Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (CoP-20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to help governments slow down the depletion of water resources and land degradation, improve water security in the region and manage resources sustainably.

The programme will cover the main river basins, as well as pastures, desert areas, steppes and mountainous territories that are subject to climatic pressures and various social factors.

The programme will be supported by the FAO's Food and Agriculture Organisation, together with the ecological regulatory bodies of each Central Asian country, with the collaboration of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

In Uzbekistan, the key initiatives will focus on integrating water resource management in the Amu Darya, Zarafshan and Pjandž basins, with an investment of .84 million, expanding cross-border cooperation.

Another million will be set aside for the Syr Darya and Naryn basins between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to increase the effectiveness of water distribution and the system for preventing various phenomena. .6 million will then be allocated to supporting service ecosystems and biodiversity in various Central Asian territories, restoring degraded land and protecting the most exclusive areas for agricultural functions.

Finally, another £2 million will remain available for the initiative to reduce the degradation of the most fragile lands and ecosystems, introducing sustainable practices and increasing the capacity of local communities to cope with various climatic conditions. Overall, therefore, the various regional and national initiatives will be funded with £26 million.

As noted by the FAO Vice-President in Uzbekistan, Šerzod Umarov, ‘almost half of the land in the entire region is severely degraded’, and the annual economic damage is around million, with a 5% reduction in biodiversity per year. Additional pressures come from climate change, water shortages and ineffective land use methods.

The FAO's main partner in Uzbekistan is the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, and several other bodies will be involved, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, and other social and institutional entities.

Umarov told Gazeta.uz that the implementation of the entire programme will be organised according to a particular model that is completely new to the Central Asian region, called the Operational Partners Agreement (Opa).

This model assumes that the actual implementation of the projects will be entrusted to external organisations with sufficient potential and the necessary experience, such as the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which will be allocated funds coordinated by the FAO and national institutions.

This model of collaboration ‘is certainly not improvised or random,’ assures Umarov, considering that in recent years international donors have tended to entrust greater responsibilities to national partners in order to increase their institutional potential.

It is necessary to raise skills in the areas of procurement, administration, personnel procedures and project management in order to meet international standards. In this way, the project ‘achieves two results: it implements effective ecological plans and strengthens the capacities of state bodies’.

This aim is also confirmed by the FAO representative, Ekrem Yazici from Turkey, who says that ‘the Cawln programme aims to increase the potential of local institutions by demonstrating best practices and ensuring access to innovative technologies using satellite data’.

He recalls that “when I was a child, they told us that sooner or later water would be more expensive than oil”, which is why Central Asian countries must succeed in defending crucial ecosystem services.