The delegation of Turkmenistan, consisting of specialists from various structural units of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the country, participated in the regional workshop on monitoring the state of the cryosphere in Central Asia, the condition of which directly affects the flow of the Amu Derya and Syr Derya rivers.

The meeting took place on April 3 and 4 in Kazakhstan and served as an introduction to a new five-party project, launched with the support of the regional office of UNESCO in Almaty.

As emphasized, among the planned activities are the study of snow, glaciers and permafrost (glacio-nival formations) in the conditions of climate aridification, their impact on the state of transboundary river resources, joint assessment of such "reserves" of freshwater for the region, and the development of integrated methods for sustainable development and adaptation to climate change. 

The new platform of cooperation is intended to promote scientific exchange as well.

In order to understand the full picture and forecast future changes in the cryosphere that feeds the rivers, hydro-meteorologists, water experts, climatologists and ecologists from the five countries will study the latest data and monitor glaciers and snow caps in mountain systems.

Such applied scientific direction should be integrated into a complex of sustainable water use methods and adaptive strategies in the future.

The upcoming work involves the use of scientific research, technological achievements and traditional knowledge to preserve mountain glaciers, test and adapt known sustainable water conservation practices to the regional conditions. Thus, the project participants - representatives of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan - during the meeting established a basic structure for further interaction.