The Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the world's fourth-largest lake. It has shrunk to just 10 percent of its original size due to over-irrigation, climate change and poor water management by the end of the 1990s. This has led to health problems and land degradation in the region.
Drawing on experience from managing the Tarim River, China is supporting Uzbekistan in addressing the Aral Sea crisis with solutions like a water-saving irrigation system. Chinese scientists are also helping manage saline-alkali land using salt-tolerant plants and planting forests to fight desertification – all to help protect the Aral Sea and support local recovery.