GLOFCA project and partners planted 800 trees in the Pskem Valley to protect against landslides and held a children’s drawing contest
This October, the team of the UNESCO–Adaptation Fund project “Reducing vulnerabilities of populations in the Central Asia region from glacier lake outburst floods in a changing climate” (GLOFCA) and the State Institution “Hydroingeo” organized a large-scale tree-planting campaign in the Pskem Valley of the Tashkent region, one of the project’s pilot sites. The initiative aimed to stabilize slopes and protect local communities from landslides – one of the most serious natural hazards in the area.
The Pskem Valley is prone to multiple natural hazards, with landslides posing the greatest threat. The most recent large-scale event occurred in 2017 in the Khirabulak area, when a landslide with a volume of around one million cubic metres destroyed a road and hundreds of trees. The valley is home to more than 2,000 residents, including in the villages of Pskem and Tepar, both pilot sites of the GLOFCA project.
The GLOFCA project in collaboration with Hydroingeo carried out tree planting in two landslide-prone areas – Ispai-Tepar and Khirabulak – planting a total of 800 trees. Sumac and poplar species were selected for their deep root systems, which help strengthen the soil and prevent erosion. This campaign was part of the project’s complementary adaptation measures to enhance the resilience of local communities.
The closing event on 30 October brought together representatives of UNESCO, Hydroingeo, the Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology, the Research Hydrometeorological Institute (NIGMI), Institute of Geology and Geophysics named after Kh. M. Abdullaev, as well as residents and schoolchildren from the villages of Tepar and Pskem.
The campaign concluded with an award ceremony for students who participated in GLOFCA’s art contest on disaster risk reduction. One of the winners, fifth-grade student Usmonov Zhasur from School No. 45 in Pskem, presented a prototype of an automated excavator for clearing riverbeds after natural disasters such as mudflows, earning him first place in the competition.
The active involvement of students in the contest and tree planting reflected their growing awareness of natural hazards and their dedication to protecting their home communities.
Tree planting, slope monitoring, and community engagement form an integral part of the GLOFCA project’s efforts to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and strengthen the resilience of mountain communities in Uzbekistan.
Read more
GLOFCA project and partners planted 800 trees in the Pskem Valley to protect against landslides and held a children’s drawing contest
Educational field visit to Uzbekistan’s mountains for local school children
