475,000ha of drained bottom of Aral Sea planted with saksaul trees

Minister of Ecology Yerlan Nyssanbayev reported to the Cabinet on the course of rehabilitation of the Aral Sea ecosystem, Kazinform News Agency reports.

“In line with the President’s instruction, from 2021 to 2024, saksaul trees were planted on 475,000 out of 1.1 million hectares of drained bottom of the Aral Sea. In 2025, we target to plant saksaul seedlings on 428,000 hectares,” Nyssanbayev said, 100,000 hectares will be planted by local authorities, and 328,000 hectares – by the ministry.

The ministry has already attracted 2.2 billion tenge of KATKO company’s extra-budgetary funds to cover an area of 148,000 hectares.

He emphasized that the ministry would actively work on attraction of additional extra-budgetary funds to achieve the target set for 2025.

Earlier, it was reported, that the Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry is working over creating a forest nursery on the drained bottom of the Aral Sea.