Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from Central Asian countries discussed the conservation and sustainable use of cold winter deserts in Central Asia at the virtually held inception workshop. The workshop was organized by the Interim Regional Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI) Secretariat, which started its work in Tashkent this year. The main objective of the virtual meeting was to ensure participation of stakeholders and to consider their views and comments for the further elaboration of the CADI Secretariat’s plan of work.

The seminar facilitated the exchange of views and ideas between participants. It was recommended to take measures for the modification of the border zone barriers between countries and to establish cooperation with border services in order to address the impact these barriers have on migrating wild animal species. Furthermore, the participants recommended establishing international cooperation with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and Green Central Asia (initiative of the German Agency for International Cooperation – GIZ). The workshop also discussed the possibility of creating the Aral Sea Regional Geopark, which will include the Aralkum region.

Taking into account the specific activities planned in the CADI member countries, a 5-year plan of work for the Secretariat was developed. In addition, the composition of the Interim National CADI Secretariats in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was approved. The issue of registration of the Interim CADI Secretariat as an NGO in Uzbekistan was also discussed.

The Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI) aims to promote the conservation and sustainable use of temperate deserts, which are unique ecosystems of global importance. 95% of the temperate deserts are located in Central Asia – hence this region carries a high responsibility for the preservation of this biome. CADI is jointly implemented by the University of Greifswald (Germany), the Michael Succow Foundation (Greifswald, Germany) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (Ankara, Turkey). This project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.