Kazakhstan Launches Innovative Drone-Based Initiative to Reforest Aral Sea Bed
October 30, 2025
In a groundbreaking effort to combat one of the world’s most severe environmental crises, Kazakhstan has begun employing advanced drone technology to restore vegetation on the dried-up seabed of the Aral Sea. This initiative, announced on October 29, involves the collaborative efforts of Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, the University of California, Berkeley, the Kazakh Directorate of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), and the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation.
The project, titled “Improving the Ecosystem of the Aral Seabed,” aims to rehabilitate the vast exposed soil left behind after the dramatic desiccation of the Aral Sea. Once the world’s fourth-largest inland water body, the Aral Sea spanned approximately 68,000 square kilometers across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, since the 1960s, extensive irrigation activities diverting water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for cotton cultivation led to its depletion. By 2007, the sea had shrunk to a mere 10% of its original volume, leaving behind a toxic landscape.
The exposed seabed presents severe ecological and health challenges. Salt-laden dust rich in pesticides and heavy metals frequently disperses across vast regions, reaching as far as the Arctic and the Himalayas. This airborne contamination threatens soil quality, water resources, air purity, and regional public health, underlining the urgency of restoration efforts.
At the core of the new reforestation approach is an innovative aerial-seeding technology developed by scientists from UC Berkeley. Utilizing drones, the project employs “E-seed” technology, which disperses self-burying seeds encased in biodegradable materials. This method is designed to enhance seed survival rates, accelerate greening, and reduce labor-intensive planting processes.
“The Aral Sea is a wound on the planet that cannot be ignored,” said Ainur Karbozova, Director of the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation. “With this project, we aim to build a natural barrier against the spread of salt and toxic dust, improve health outcomes for local communities, and contribute to the Earth’s future. The technology’s versatility extends beyond the Aral region—it has the potential to rehabilitate burned-out forests and convert deserts worldwide into green landscapes.”
A pilot planting is scheduled for early spring 2026 on a one-hectare test plot. Subject to successful outcomes, the project will expand in 2027 to cover approximately 50 hectares. According to Rakhat Kurmanbayev, Associate Professor at Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, the long-term vision anticipates stabilizing the ecosystem across at least 50 square kilometers by 2040. This is expected to reduce local air temperatures by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius and improve microclimatic conditions by strengthening soil structure and curbing dust and salt emissions.
This initiative complements wider environmental objectives outlined during Kazakhstan’s 2024-2026 chairmanship of IFAS, which promotes large-scale afforestation projects targeting more than one million hectares of the Aral seabed. Kazakhstan has already made significant strides in this endeavor. Since 2021, approximately 475,000 hectares have been afforested with drought-resistant saxaul shrubs native to the region, including 127,000 hectares planted in 2024 alone. Plans for 2025 include reforestation of an additional 428,000 hectares.
The construction of a dedicated saxaul nursery in the Kyzylorda region, directly on the former seabed, further supports these efforts. This facility is expected to produce 1.5 million saxaul saplings annually, substantially contributing to the re-greening objectives.
By the end of 2025, Kazakhstan anticipates that saxaul vegetation will cover roughly 40% of its sector of the desiccated Aral seabed, forming a crucial natural buffer against environmental degradation.
This integrated approach combining cutting-edge technology and large-scale afforestation demonstrates a promising path forward for the restoration of the Aral Sea region, with potential to serve as a model for addressing land degradation and desertification globally.
For more information on this and related stories, visit The Times of Central Asia.
— Sergey Kwan, The Times of Central Asia
