【COP29 Side-Event】Global Warming and Land Use Impacts on Destroying Natural Ecosystems in Southwest and Central Asia

Day:2024.12.19

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Reporting party

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Junko Morizane Global Environment Department Environmental Management and Climate Change Group

Outline

Date:November 14, 2024
Host:Government of Uzbekistan
Name of Venue (Pavilion Name):Uzbekistan Pavilion

Speaker

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Aziz Abdukhakimov Ministry of Nature Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan Minister
Suna Park Ministry of Nature Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan Minister Advisor
Kazunao Shibata JICA Deputy Director General, Global Environment Department, Environmental Management and Climate Change Group
Kenji Tanaka Tokyo Metropolitan University Disaster Prevention Research Institute Professor, Principal Investigator of the SATREPS Project to Develop Climate Resilient Innovative Technologies for Water Use Efficiency and Salinity Control in the Aral Sea Region
Kristina Toderich Mie University Researcher, College of Bioresources
Hossein Akhani University of Tehran Professor, School of Biological Sciences
Mahdi Motagh German Geological Survey Center (GFZ) PhD

Background and purpose

This site event is jointly organized by the Agency for Innovative Development, the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovation, and the Ministry of Ecology of Uzbekistan, Nature Conservation and Climate Change, in collaboration with the SATREPS "Project for the Development of Climate Resilient Innovative Technologies for Water Use Efficiency and Control of Salinity in the Aral Sea Region" being implemented in Uzbekistan. The event introduced the SATREPS (BLUE-SATREPS) project and research results on soil degradation and restoration and saline vegetation in Central and Southwest Asian countries.

Contents

  • In the opening remarks, the Uzbekistan side emphasized the important role of Japan's JICA program in Uzbekistan, noting that the BLUE-SATREPS Japan-Uzbekistan partnership has led to the development of innovative climate smart technologies, evidence-based solutions in addressing the challenge of soil salinity and cooperation in addressing soil salinity challenges.
  • JICA Deputy Director General Shibata stressed the importance of the relationship between Japan and Uzbekistan, which has fostered cutting-edge research and innovation. He also noted that BLUE-SATREPS is monitoring water efficiency in the Aral Sea region and implementing climate-smart technologies to mitigate the effects of salinity, and that the consortium of nine research institutes and 10 research centers in Japan and Uzbekistan has played a pivotal role in addressing environmental issues through innovative saline plant research and in providing solutions to restore degraded lands and improve rural livelihoods.
  • In his keynote speech, Prof. Tanaka of Kyoto University, the principal investigator of the BLUE-SATREPS project, emphasized the importance of long-term hydrodynamic simulations and water balance calculations for supply and demand in various river basins around the world in comparison with changes in the water balance in the Aral Sea basin. He also emphasized the importance of dynamic projections of climate change for the future availability of water resources in the Aral Sea Basin.
  • Kristina Toderich, Research Associate at Mie University, gave a presentation on "Conservation and Utilization of Halophytes for Productivity in Saline Deserts," and Dr. Gulchekhra Kasankhanova (UZGIP) and Dr. Bakhriddin Nishanov presented the results of the Uzbekistan Innovative Development Agency-supported Blue-SATREPS project in Uzbekistan.

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JICA Deputy Director General Shibata gives opening remarks

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Minister of the Ministry of Natural Environment Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan

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Group photo of speakers