Events held in Lebap for forest and land restoration
Mergen Kepbanova, Director of the Project Office of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (RECCA) in Turkmenistan, along with a team of experts and a representative from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, conducted a five-day working trip to Lebap to carry out reforestation activities at a pilot site of the forestry sector in the Charjev district.
The event was organized as part of an agreement between FAO and the RECCA project office in Turkmenistan, aimed at supporting environmental solutions in the country, including the Forest Program, increasing the area of carbon sinks as an adaptation measure in the context of climate change.
Over 6 hectares of local forest management land were covered by the reforestation activities. The afforestation of this site is also important for preventing land salinization. To address this, halophytes were chosen as planting material: seedlings of the tamarisk tree and seeds of black saxaul, both of which thrive on land with elevated salt content.
The planting efforts actively involved representatives from executive authorities, local self-government bodies, public organizations, environmental specialists, and activists.
The area covered by the reforestation efforts is adjacent to the city of Farab and will eventually become part of its green "belt". As part of this, plantings were carried out on a section of over 4 hectares closest to the city, which will serve as a park zone, while tamarisk seedlings were planted along its perimeter to also act as a protective forest strip.
A nursery was established on a section of over 2 hectares within the newly planted forest area, where black saxaul seedlings will be grown.
The team of experts conducted a field survey of the areas, examined the current soil and ecosystem conditions, and discussed with the representatives of the Lebap Regional Forestry Department the planting scheme and the procedure for conducting planting activities.
The restoration of degraded lands and the implementation of sustainable land use practices will make a significant contribution to improving the region's environmental situation and enhancing the quality of life for the local population, as noted on the RECCA website.
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