The degradation of the environment in the Aral Sea region is extremely noticeable at this point. As the result of drying out, the climate of the region has changed. The world of animals and plants is degrading. The drying parts of the sea and the rivers? deltas are becoming natural mobs and spreaders of infection and polluting substances. In the village there blows strong wind that rouses dusty storms. The wind spreads the dust, containing high concentration of salt, from the surface of the dried out bottom of the sea to big distances, which causes salting and degradation of the nearby agricultures. Lands of the Aral region are strongly exposed to the wind and water erosion. Cutting down of trees and bushes, unsystematic pastures of the livestock accelerate the process of deserting. Humus is decreasing intensively, water-physical properties of the soil are becoming worse, and its fertility is diminishing.

Local inhabitants of Karateren village, about 1500 people, breed the livestock

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and catch fish. Because of the cattle, the pastures around the village are highly damaged, vegetation and soil are degraded, which provokes deserting of the surrounding areas and the loss of their fertility.

To solve the problem there is a need to create a nursery for plants, in which the seedlings of the aboriginal sorts of trees and bushes, that are stable to the local climate and that do not demand much water, will be grown and popularized among the local inhabitants. One of the most matching plants is haloxylon, because it has the root system that goes deep under ground and requires insignificant amount of water. Haloxylon, planted in the area of 20 hectares, can extract as much as 20-30 tons of salt from the soil, and because of strong root system it can become very good natural barrier against the sand.

The project aims at creation of a greenhouse for struggle against desertification at the local level. For successful achievement of the purpose a nursery will be created for cultivation of alfa-alfa, tamariks and others dry- and salt- resisting local trees and bushes, educational programme for the local community on desertification of pastures, etc. will be conducted, a number of trainings on methods of rational pastures usage will be implemented, local people will be propagandized gardening of the personal plots.

Expected outcomes:
1.The land for the plant nursery belongs to the Volunteer Center
2.The plant nursery is created
3.New local ecological NGOs are created, and their roles in the ecological problem-solving are increased with further activation and consolidation of their work
4. Level of ecological education and ecological activities of the local inhabitants is increased
5. Planting with trees and gardens is on the implementation stage and the ecological, aesthetical site of the village is improved.

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