Why is artificial afforestation crucial for restoring nature? Studies on the dried bottom of Aral Sea, Kazakhstan
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The Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest inland lake located in Central Asia, has reduced dramatically as it lost most of its volume due to the large-scale water withdrawal for the cultivation of irrigated crops starting from the 1960s. The desiccated seafloor has become a source of salt, sand, and dust transfer to the adjacent regions, negatively affecting human health and the environment by inhibiting the survival and growth of the vegetation. In response, to stabilize the saline sand blowing from the Aral seabed, multiple domestic and international efforts have been performed to establish vegetation cover with indigenous trees of Haloxylon species as well as other salt- and water-stress tolerant woody and herbaceous plants of the region. As part of the afforestation project supported by the Korea Forest Service (South Korea) in Kazakhstan, field studies examined the impacts of the afforestation on carbon stock and soil quality. The summarized findings are as follows: 1) growth of planted seedlings indicates the measurable sequestration of carbon, which ultimately help to estimate its contribution to climate change mitigation by calculating the atmospheric greenhouse gas reductions; 2) afforestation increased the soil organic matter content which is closely related to soil fertility; 3) afforestation improved soil chemical properties for plants and soil microbes; 4) soil amelioration effects by the afforestation were statistically similar to those by natural vegetation succession. However, the soil conditions in the natural succession area improved after almost 50 years versus about 15 years in the afforested area. This signifies the relative efficiency of afforestation activities and thus helps justify the investments made. Based on the studies, we recommend further research to raise the efficiency of afforestation in arid areas, thereby reinforcing ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation.
Keywords: Aral Sea; afforestation; desertification; climate change; restoration; soil amelioration; carbon stock
ID: 3615605