Surgil ESIA Report - Volume III - EKN

“O’ZLITINEFTGAZ” PC
PFS “Surgil field complex costruction with valuable
components retrieval”
1.3.5 FLORA AND FAUNA
Modern condition of Aral area in deserted zone defines character of the vegetative
cover of investigated region. In connection with modern natural processes in the territory of
Aral Sea there is observed degradation of the vegetative cover in the region of works. One
of the heaviest factors defining a modern condition of biocenose of Aral area is
desertification process.
The greatest distribution in the territory was obtained by such types of
anthropogenous desertification as degradation of vegetation and salinization of the soils,
caused by drawdown of Aral Sea and overregulation of the deserted Amu Darya and Syr
Darya rivers drainage.
All dried up area is located in a zone of deep ecological crisis with strong degree of
desertification. Prevailing type of desertification – salinization of the soils, but along with it
thre is noted degradation of unstable vegetation. Display of desertification process are huge
spaces of s alkaline lands, inequality in overgrowing, prevalence of annual species of plants,
their weak associativity, insignificant participation of perennial plants, incomplete
development of biohorizons, intensification of mineralization degree of the underground
waters and their decrease.
Ecological situation on the drained sea bed is critical and strained. The same
conditions are in the regions of modern Syr Darya delta and throughout Amu Darya delta.
According to literary data, there are 244 species of flora representatives in Aral area
in the territory of Uzbekistan. Among the most widespread families there are presented the
following: buzgun, compositae, cereal, tamarisk, sedge, chenopodiacious, crucials and
legumes.
A high specific variety of vegetation is concentrated in the deltas of Syr Darya and
Amu Darya rivers. However, this variety is reduced now in connection with overregulation
of the rivers drainage and desertification of meadow-tugai vegetation. So, thickets of
endemic Kazakhstan cane were widespread through Aral shallow gulfs and lakes in Syr
Darya delta. Now this species meets very seldom. Hydrophytic vegetation of Aral Sea shoal
(reed, zinnikelnya, rupee, naiad) has disappeared completely. Fragments of hydrophytic
communities have remained in small lakes of Syr Darya and Amu Darya deltas, on the sites
of pinching-out of underground waters in northern drying of Aral (Karabulak).
The flora of reservoirs (Aral Sea and lakes) is very poor and makes 13 species of the
higher plants. They are representatives of reed mace, pondweed, eelgrass, zannikelch, naiad
and sedge families, during sea contraction they be found as the most vulnerable, than other
groups of plants.
Changes of environmental conditions have caused impoverishment of flora specific
composition (as in qualitative and quantitative relations). Most widespread species of plants
in the region of works are the following: tezgun, wormwood, white-ground wormwood,
turan wormwood, sand wormwood, glasswort, saltwort, keyruk, locoweed, camel's-thorn,
aperec, tamarica, tamarisk, karaborak, yerkek, biyurgun, tastibiyurgun, licorice, black
Volume 2. Part 1. EIS Project for Surgil field construction
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