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It is no secret that climate change and an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts in Central Asia pose a serious threat to ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. Drought increases the accumulation of salts in the upper layers of the soil and activates the processes of salinization of agricultural land.

A three-day online training on mapping saline lands of Turkmenistan was held in Ashgabat.

A joint project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility entitled "Integrated management of natural resources in saline and arid landscapes of agricultural production in Central Asia and Turkey", implemented together with the Global Soil Partnership, has trained more than 40 representatives of state organizations and departments of Turkmenistan, as well as representatives of local government bodies and the Union industrialists and entrepreneurs.

During the event, the participants were presented methods of mapping saline lands using GIS technologies (Geographic Information Systems), told about the introduction of modern methods of remote sensing in real time to assess the degree of soil salinity.

Turkmen specialists got acquainted with the process of mapping saline lands, examined the main factors affecting salinization, mapping methods and FAO approaches to the formation of maps in different countries. The training also considered the requirements for the initial data for mapping the salt marshes of Turkmenistan, various aspects of obtaining the necessary information for mapping.

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the State Committee for Water Management of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen Hydromet, the Turkmen Agricultural University, the administration of the Dashoguz region, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan studied methods of preliminary processing of information using GIS data, worked with remote sensing data and information, as well as digital terrain models.

The project "Integrated Management of natural resources in saline and arid landscapes of agricultural production in Central Asia and Turkey" regularly conducts various trainings, seminars and working meetings on the application of modern technologies and methods of integrated management of natural resources, sustainable land management.

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