Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The national Red Data Book of Uzbekistan (2009) includes 107 species of vertebrate, 77 of invertebrate, 321 of plant and 3 species of fungi [ ] 233 Raising public awareness In Uzbekistan a massive project to raise public awareness about biodi- versity has been conducted by means of information campaigns, mass media, publications, organization of workshops, and wide distribution of thematic information. In order to create a sustainable basis for ecolog- ical knowledge, work is carried out on the introduction of ecological aspects, including biodiversity, into educational programmes. The State Committee for Nature Protection prepared and published a number of editions on ecology including: Educational aid for school children of 5th and 6th forms; Uzbek-Russian-English ecological dictionary; The Red Data Book (vol- umes 1 and 2); Report on the state of the natural environment and use of natural resources in the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2005-2006; booklets on the Gissar nature reserve; a photo-al- bum within the series of Protected natural areas in Uzbekistan; the book Nature Reserves and National Parks; and A popular ecological encyclope- dia, volumes 1 and 2. A monthly TV programme, Man and World that was devoted to eco- logical problems of Uzbekistan was broadcast on the First TV Channel of in Uzbekistan. Contacts were made with television information pro- grammes which highlight workshops, presentations and conferences organ- ized by the State Committee for Na- ture Protection. Also, raids organized by the Administration for Protection of Fauna and Flora received extensive media coverage, highlighting the detainment of poachers catching fish during spawning, as well as the illegal felling of trees. Radio channels broadcast monthly radio programmes such as Human and Nature, Youth in Nature Protec- tion, and Ecology News. Business contacts have been made with newspaper journalists, with a nomination for the best article on protected areas established. The State Committee for Nature Protection and other interested bodies organize annual celebrations with the broad participation of the general public dedicated to interna- tional ecology holidays, such as the Earth Day, Water Day, Day of Nature Reserves and National Parks, World Wetlands Day, World Environment Day, World Biodiversity Day, and World day to Combat Desertification. These efforts and activities have cul- minated in raising public awareness throughout the nation. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan C overing an area of 447,400 km 2 , the Republic of Uzbekistan is located in the basin of the Aral Sea, Central Asia, and lies between the two major Central Asian Rivers, the Amudarya and the Syrdarya. The climate is subtropical, sharply continental and arid in most parts of the country. According to the criteria of the UNESCO world map of desertification and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the country has an aridity index from 0.03 to 0.20, and is subject to intensive desertification and droughts. Mateusz Banski, CBD