National parks and protected areas
The vegetation is divided into four different ecosystems. The desert and the arid plain "chul" occupy almost 80% of its surface area, with different types of soil: salt, sand, gypsum or clay. The "tau" mountains and the alpine zone in the east, at over 4,000 meters, contrast with the "adyr" hilly areas. The country's two great rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, represent the most important river basins in Central Asia. Each of these natural environments is home to characteristic flora and fauna. To protect them, the country has some 15 nature reserves(zapovedniki) and two national parks.
Zaamin National Park (UNESCO), south of the capital, was created in 1926. Located in the western part of the Turkestan mountain range, it features valleys with orchards and juniper-covered slopes. The mountainous part features alpine meadows, canyons and waterfalls. The park is home to over 700 plant species, including some 30 medicinal and aromatic species (rosehip, mint, tarragon, onions, cloves, hawthorn, geranium) and 40 mammals, including the famous snow leopard, the Turkestan lynx and the Asiatic black bear, and 150 bird species, including nesting areas for migratory birds (black storks, ducks, geese, pelicans, grey herons) migrating to Zaamin in spring. Bearded vultures can also be found here.
Chatkal National Park, created in 1947, lies to the north-east of the capital, with the Tian Shan mountains as a backdrop. Its surface area covers 35,000 ha. Its treasures include Lake Charvak, as well as the Besthor peak at 4,299 m and Mount Adelung at 4,301 m. The park is home to many endangered plant and animal species, as well as petroglyphs dating back to the Stone Age. There are over 40 species of fruit trees and shrubs, some of which are endemic: Turkestan rowan, blackcurrant, Magaleb cherry, pistachio, Severtsov apple and apricot. In groves: Afghan poplar, willow, Caucasian maple. On mountain slopes: fir; along riverbanks: birch. Among the animal species: Siberian goat, Turkestan lynx, bear, Menzbira marmot, snow leopard, grouse, ptarmigan...
The 81,000-hectareHissar Nature Reserve, to the east of Shakhrisabz, is the country's largest. This karst mountain area is famous for the Amir Timur cave, one of the deepest caves in Central Asia (concressions, stalactites, underground lake), a place of pilgrimage and fossilized dinosaur tracks. Created in 1983, the reserve boasts over 910 species, 250 of which are medicinal and edible (hairy or twisted-spined caracas, Butkov's milkvetch, white wolfsbane, Oshanin onion, Anzur onion), 80 of which are endemic and around 30 very rare!
The Badai Tugai reserve, west of Berouni, now closed to the public. This is a massive poplar forest in the middle of the Kyzyl Kum desert, where you can observe many animals, including hares, desert cats, foxes and, above all, one of the last herds of Bukhara deer.
Naratinsky Reserve. Situated near the verdant canyon of the Nuratau Mountains, to the west of the Jizzak region. Asian species include Amygdalus spinosissima, ferula, walnut and pistachio. A detour to Ekosentr Jeyran is highly recommended for all enthusiasts. Since 1977, this protected natural area has been dedicated to the breeding of endangered animals and rare species. The ecocenter is home to mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates, but also protects marine fauna (marbled teal, scaup, white-headed duck) and over 250 plant species.
The disappearance of the Aral Sea
At the top of the list of environmental disasters is the disappearance of the Aral Sea, which began in the 1960s. Intensive irrigation upstream of the Syr Daria and Amu Daria, the two rivers that used to feed the Aral Sea, has virtually dried them up. The Syr Darya no longer reaches the sea, and the waters of the legendary Oxus and its fertile delta are lost in the desert. In 2010, there was still some water on the Uzbek side, but by 2017 the basin had disappeared. While the sea (on the Kazakh side) seems to be holding its own, on the Uzbek side it has well and truly disappeared in just half a century! While the Kazakh government is trying to replenish what remains, the situation on the Uzbek side seems desperate.
The disappearance of the sea has led to a rise in salinity levels in the remaining water on the Kazakh side, with dramatic consequences for the aquatic fauna and flora that have now disappeared in Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea has now become the Aral Desert, the Aral Koum. It stretches as far as the eye can see, and the winds carry its sand to distant continents.
The second consequence is that the evaporation bubble created by the Aral Sea, which protected the region from the Siberian winds, disappears with the sea, leaving the whole of Karakalpakstan exposed to the cold and salt-laden wind. The latter ruins harvests, makes the soil unsuitable for crops and has accelerated the disappearance of flora and fauna, especially birds.
Water: a precious commodity!
In Uzbekistan, irrigation dates back to the earliest human settlements and has always ensured the development of desert oasis cities such as Bukhara and Samarkand. In contrast to the disappearance of the Aral Sea, the level of Lake Aydar Kul, north of the Nourata Mountains, is rising year on year. The same applies to the water table, which is reaching worrying levels in Khiva. You only need to dig two or three metres to reach the water, which is a serious threat to the foundations of buildings in the historic city. Last but not least, the lack of means to maintain the irrigation canals leads to a significant loss of water. What's more, as the canals are open to the air, it is estimated that almost a third of the water evaporates during the hottest months.
A threatened fauna and flora
To make way for cotton fields, refineries and industrial complexes, the surface area of forests has been reduced by almost 80%, and many animal species have disappeared from the region. The destruction of this living heritage can be seen in the changes to Uzbek landscapes. For example, the oriental plane trees that used to be found everywhere in towns and villages have fallen victim to the huge open-air construction site that the country has become in recent years. Centuries-old, venerable and revered trees, which had the advantage of providing welcome shade during the hot summer months, are being cut down and replaced by meagre fir trees imported from Europe or Russia. The Uzbek landscape is considerably affected, with squares and alleys no longer protected from the sun, and water consumption, already problematic, only worsening.
A desert country, but... not desert!
The usual vegetation in desert areas is made up of fat grasses, thorny bushes and the delightful Calligonum setosum, with its fragile flowers resembling little balls of down. Tamarisk and saxauls, whose roots plunge more than 10 m below the ground, are the only shrubs and trees able to withstand the scorching heat and dryness of these regions. But every year, in the few days following the spring rains, the vegetation wakes up and the sand dunes are covered with flowers: sogdian tulips, ranunculus, rhubarb..
In terms of wildlife, the desert is far from uninhabited: camels, gerbils, wolves, monitor lizards, turtles, hedgehogs, snakes and scorpions are just some of the species that give life to Uzbekistan's red sands. Lizards are numerous in the desert, measuring up to 1.50 m in length. Their bite is not venomous, but very painful. It's best to be careful not to step on their tails when they're lying in wait in the bushes! Some locals don't hesitate to handle them early in the morning, when their body temperature keeps them still asleep. But this kind of experiment is strongly discouraged!
