The corroded hulls of ships seem to be floating above the ash-gray dunes. They look like huge, desolate, rusting islands in a melancholy sea of sand. More than a hundred miles—and decades of environmental abuse—separate these former fishing vessels from the Aral Sea, or what is now left of this enclosed salt lake between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Known as the “Sea of Islands,” the Aral Sea, once a vibrant ecosystem, was destroyed by the brutal practices of Soviet cotton production. By 2024, the lake had shrunk to 90% of its original size, and ecologists say it will never be restored to its initial state.
However, increased environmental awareness in recent years has given new impetus to the fight for a more sustainable future for the region. A 500-hectare area has been created on the former seabed to serve as a planting ground for saxaul shrubs, small, stocky, juniper-like trees that can survive in the salty soil and harsh climate.
The Oasis project is in a remote area of the Aralkum Desert. There is a simple base camp, a 500-metre-deep borehole well, and a seedling nursery tucked away behind a reed hedge. Some of the saxaul bushes are already bearing fruit. Where the Aral Sea once stood, a new ecosystem—fragile yet bold—is gradually taking root.
In this reporting project, Fellow Ekaterina Venkina explores the environmental transformation of the Aral Sea and how the Central Asian region, plagued by water scarcity, desertification, and land degradation, is paving the way for greater sustainability and a green transition.
