On the sidelines of the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CITES CoP20), Uzbekistan unveiled its newly developed Atlas of Environmental Change. The event brought together representatives of government agencies, international organizations, academic institutions and environmental experts. Speakers included Jusipbek Kazbekov, Deputy Chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change; representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecosystems Division at UNEP; and leading specialists from Moscow State University and the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The session marked the national launch of the Atlas, a key outcome of a regional UNEP project funded by the Russian Federation. The initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of Central Asian countries to use modern GIS technologies for environmental monitoring and for modelling changes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
In his remarks, Jusipbek Kazbekov emphasized that the introduction of the Atlas represents an important step toward improving transparency of environmental data and enhancing the national monitoring system.
“The Eco-Atlas consolidates comprehensive, scientifically grounded information on land and water resources, biodiversity, climate change, and other essential components of the environment. It provides a clear understanding of long-term trends, drivers of change and areas of concern — information that is crucial for policymaking and national strategy development,” Kazbekov stated.
During the event, participants were presented with the project’s main results, its implementation stages and scientific materials prepared by experts from Uzbekistan, the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Moscow State University. Special attention was given to the Atlas as a tool for decision-making, sustainable environmental planning, environmental monitoring, and natural resource assessment.
The session concluded with a discussion on opportunities to apply the Atlas data in the practical work of government institutions, research organizations and environmental agencies.
📌Source: National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan
