From 16 to 18 June this year, specialists from Turkmenistan and Italy conducted a joint expedition to the Dashoguz and Lebap velayats to assess the natural and climatic conditions of the region. The aim of the study is to lay the foundations for a new environmental project to be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan. The project provides for the introduction of innovative solutions to improve the environmental situation, the organisation of training programmes for specialists in the water and agricultural sectors, and the creation of a unified database on water resources in Central Asia. This was reported by the online publication ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’.

The initiative is being implemented within the framework of the ‘Central Asia - Italy’ dialogue with the support of the State University of Rome, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the company ‘Sogesid’, which will provide technical assistance. Italian experts plan to use advanced technologies to optimise water use on the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers and monitor the state of oasis ecosystems.

The project will strengthen monitoring of environmental changes in the Aral Sea region and develop strategies for sustainable natural resource management in the region.