Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 6 June, a seminar was held to launch a new project “Integrated management of landscape protection and restoration”, implemented with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in partnership with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, Development Program UN (UNDP), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The launch of the project is timed to coincide with World Environment Day.

The event was attended by the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan Anas Fayyad Karman, Director General and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Carlos Manuel Rodriguez (online), Director of the Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Oliver Avramovsky (online), representatives of ministries and departments, international organizations, stakeholders, industry experts and the media.

In his welcoming speech, Aziz Abdukhakimov spoke about large-scale environmental reforms carried out by the government of the country and expressed gratitude to foreign partners for their support.

“As we see degradation of ecosystems and stress on landscapes across the country, the project is a timely initiative that is much needed. We welcome the project’s support to strengthen Uzbekistan’s system of protected natural areas (PAs) in 10 key biodiversity zones, covering 6 national PAs and 7 state forestries. This is also in line with the country’s government’s efforts under the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration,” the minister said.

The project “Integrated management of landscape protection and restoration” is aimed at the restoration and sustainable management of natural ecosystems in Uzbekistan, providing assistance in the fight against growing challenges associated with ecosystem degradation, interdepartmental coordination, financing activities for the restoration and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.

“I am pleased to see that UNDP, IUCN and the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan are putting into practice the GEF approach to enhance more comprehensive cooperation between different sectors. This could help us prevent land degradation and loss of biodiversity not only in Uzbekistan, but throughout the entire Central Asian region,” Carlos Manuel Rodriguez said in his video message.

“But it is also important to engage and empower communities and other stakeholders who are directly involved in the management of protected areas and help prevent overexploitation through constructive participation and dialogue,” added the head of the GEF fund.

It is worth noting that Uzbekistan is actively increasing cooperation with leading environmental organizations. In particular, in February of this year, a representative office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature opened in our country, which was located at the Central Asian University of Environmental Studies and Climate Change Green University.

During the event, participants and stakeholders discussed the opportunities offered by this project for the development of the environmental protection sector in Uzbekistan.