On April 24, a ceremony was held for the transfer of two quad bikes to the protected natural territories of Uzbekistan, acquired by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as part of a joint project of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), "Conservation and management of lakes, wetlands, and coastal corridors as a basis for sustainable and neutral land degradation in the landscape of the Aral Sea basin, supporting sustainable livelihoods" (Aral Wetlands).
 
During the implementation of the project, in the period from 2023 to 2026, steps are being gradually implemented to strengthen and develop five new protected natural areas: the national natural parks "Southern Ustyurt", "Aral Sea Region", "Central Kyzylkum", the reserves "Sudochie-Akpetki", "Barsakelmes", with a total area of more than 3 million hectares.
 
The main objective of the project is to improve the stability of ecosystems and livelihoods in the basins of the Lower AmuDarya and the Aral Sea by preventing soil degradation in combination with integrated management of land and water resources in productive landscapes around protected natural areas (PNA), key biodiversity areas, and key ornithological territories (KOT).
 
The project's work at this stage is focused on eliminating direct threats to biodiversity, protecting globally important biodiversity, habitats, and species by expanding the PNA system, and providing targeted support to improve the management efficiency of existing PNA.
 
For information: previously, various equipment was transferred to the PNA within the framework of the project, including two off-road vehicles, binoculars, camera traps, GPS navigators, and field equipment designed to manage the protected areas of the Aral Sea region and strengthen their material and technical base.