The Rehabilitation of the Ecosystem and Bioproductivity of the Aral Sea under Conditions of Water Scarcity - REBASOWS

The continous shrinking of the Aral Sea could be oberserved since 40 years and has become evident in the public mind. The INTAS project rehabilitation of the ecosystem and bio-productivity of the Aral Sea under conditions of water scarcity has the objectives a) to forecast the Aral Sea water and salt balance under different scenarios of water inflow to the Aral Sea coastal zone, b) to define a sustainable ecological profile of a closed water body for different options, c) to develop a strategy of possible ecosystem and bioproductivity restoration in a part of the Aral Sea. To achieve these general objectives, the work programme is organised in 5 major tasks: 1. Development of a set of mathematical models and software for integrated investigation of the Aral Sea formation and development. 2. Prediction of hydrological flow to the Aral Sea under different alternatives of the delta watering and Central-Asian countries development. 3. Study of water resources distribution among the sea¿s water bodies to determine water-salt dynamics in Western and Eastern parts in annual and perennial periods under different alternatives of the delta watering. 4. Analysis of present ecological situation in different parts of the sea and definition of requirements for a sustainable ecological profile of the Aral Sea remainder and biological parameters accessible for restoration. Basic alternatives of bioproductivity development in the Western part on the background of new ecological conditions. 5. Selection of an optimal integrated management strategy to increase bioproductivity in the Western part of the Aral Sea under probable fluctuations of hydrological flow. The expected results can be summarised to be ¿ a comprehensive assessment of the current hydrological and ecological state of the Arals Sea, ¿ a set of mathematical modelling tools to predict integrated development of the Aral Sea and to define optimal conditions for managing environmental restoration under different scenarios of economic development, ¿ an optimal integrated management strategy to increase bioproductivity in the Western part of the Aral Sea. The project's results are planned to be passed to concerned ministries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and NGO. The final result will also be presented to interstate organisations, such as the Interstate Coordination Water Commission and the Interstate Commission for Sustainable Development. Its consideration will be recommended at a meeting of the Interstate Fund Aral Sea basin. European and Russian professionals can also use project results for solution of water management problems. The project consortium consists of 6 teams, 2 from INTAS countries (AT, NL) and 4 from NIS (3 UZ, 1 RU). All teams have ample experiences with the problems of the Aral Sea basin from previous projects or consultation. The teams complementarily represent multiple disciplines, including systems analysis, water management, hydrology, ecology and biology.