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1990. However, to date, the area of the delta has increased by 40%, and the sum of lakes covering has not reached its past figures. Significant and impetuous changes to the hydrologic regime of the Aral Sea (speed, scale, and problems of transformation of the sea regime and environment followed this process) reflected on the ecological state of the whole region, particularly on the status and survival of plants and animals (Tables 5-8; Figs. 11-13). The Aral Sea lost its fishing value. Many species of flora and fauna disappeared or were depressed. This phenomenon requires the detailed quantitative assessment of its temporary states, analysis of ongoing processes, and estimation of influences on the environment of the region. The tremendous changes brought about to the Aral Sea ecosystem currently have no analogues, and only can be compared to the evolutionary transformation of the salty paleo-water-reservoirs. The current crisis of the Aral Sea ecosystem resulted in the extinction of fauna and flora which preceded the explosion of speciation in the geological past. Impact of the current regression of the Aral Sea on its fauna is similar to the impact of the regression of the marine and salty paleo-water-reservoirs on the conditions of the ancient marinelife. The current state of this sea allows the natural laboratory to observe the evolutionary processes within the separate taxa and the whole ecosystem. The universe character of the transformation permits discussing the current evolution of the Aral Sea ecosystem as a global biota evolution model. Threatened biodiversity Freshwater Biodiversity is affected and threatened by large-scale development and transformation of the inner water resources. At present, the Red Books of the Central Asian countries of the region list 30 species of fishes, 4 species of amphibians, 54 species of reptiles, 99 species of birds, and 79 species of mammals (Table 9). It is necessary to note that one of the main threats to the biodiversity of the region is the transformation of water ecosystems (besides the direct persecution of animals), which has led 40 Fig. 9. Change of Aral Sea surface during 1964 – 2004 (a-d: satellite photo). Fig. 10. Ratio of total square of river waters feed lakes in Amu Darya delta and water inflow to the delta top during 1955-1980: 1- water supply to the delta, m 3 /sec; 2 - total square of lakes in delta, km 2 . to the loss of unique ecosystems in the region, such as the gallery river forests (“tugai”) with their original fauna and flora. Some animals were lost as a result of direct and indirect human influences, habitat loss, and deterioration. For example, in 1954, the last Caspian Tiger was killed in the “tugai” forest in Amu Darya River near Nukus town in Uzbekistan. This subspecies of tigers has disappeared not only because of the direct human persecution, but also, and perhaps mostly, as a result of the destruction of the gallery river forest and the drying up of reedbed areas along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. The Bukhara Deer is another large mammal occurring in the gallery river forests of Central Asia that is nearing extinction; it was saved through special conservation measures, breeding “ex-situ”
Table 5. Depletion of the taxonomic structure of the phytoplankton in the Aral Sea Taxon/ Year 1925 1967-1974 1999-2002 CYANOPHYTA 41 79 30 BACILLARIOPHYTA 210 104 115 PYRRHOPHYTA 15 28 3 EUGLENOPHYTA - 3 2 CHLOROPHYTA 109 60 9 Total number of species 375 306 159 Note: data for 1925 after Kiselev (1927); data for 1967-1974 after Pichkily (1981). Table 6. Species composition of the zooplankton in the Aral Sea Taxon/ Year 1971 1981 1989 1994 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Hexarthra spp. + + + – – + + + + – Synchaeta sp. + + + + + – – – – – Nereis diversicolor + + + + + + + + – – Cerastoderma isthmicum + + + + + + + + – – Syndosmya segmentum + + + + + + + + + – Chironomus salinarius + + + + + + + + + + Moina salina + – + – + + + + – – Podonevadne camptonyx + + + – – – – – – – Halicyclops rotundipes + + + + + – – – – – Cletocamptus retrogressus + + + + + + + + + + Halectinosoma abrau + + + + + – – – – – Calanipeda aquaedulcis + + + + + – – – – – Artemia parthenogenetica – – – – – + – + + + Number of species 42 18 12 9 9 8 7 8 5 4 Salinity, ppt 12 18 30 37 44 54 56 58-63 63-68 69-74 Note: data for 1972-1980 partly omitted. Table 7. Species composition of the zoobenthos in the Aral Sea Taxon/ Year 1950 1970 1980 1990 1995 1999 2000 2001 2002 Nereis diversicolor – + + + + + + + – Syndosmya segmentum – + + + + + + + + Cerastoderma ishtmicum + + + + + + + + – Caspiohydrobia spp. + + + + – – – – – Cyprideis torosa + + + + + + + + + Paleomon elegans – + + + + – – – – Rhithropanopeus harrisii – + + + + – – – – Turkogammarus aralensis + + + – – – – – Chironomus salinarius + + + + + + + + + Number of species 60 67 32 14 7 5 5 5 3 Salinity, ppt 10 12 17 30 42 56 58-63 63-68 69-74 Note: data for 1950-1980 after Andreev et al. (1992); data for 1990 after Filippov (1996). 41
Page 1: IUCN-WESCANA Water Publication The
Page 5: Table of Contents The demand for fr
Page 8 and 9: The demand for Freshwater Resources
Page 10 and 11: Existing natural conditions As desc
Page 12 and 13: Finally and most importantly, the c
Page 14 and 15: Management capacity of the damgah w
Page 16 and 17: • Effective involvement of local
Page 18 and 19: ad quality and fails to attract con
Page 20 and 21: Market Role in Conservation of Fres
Page 22 and 23: Numerous types of fauna and flora s
Page 24 and 25: institutions, adequate legislation,
Page 26 and 27: Water-Ecological Problems of the Sy
Page 28 and 29: Table 2: Dynamics of changes of wat
Page 30 and 31: Table 4: Areas calculated according
Page 32 and 33: The Promise for Freshwater Biodiver
Page 34 and 35: Role and essential features of the
Page 36 and 37: Table 3. Water resources (km³/year
Page 38 and 39: logical monitoring system. Transfor
Page 42 and 43: (in captivity) and reintroduction i
Page 44 and 45: Sea, the humidity of air near Table
Page 46 and 47: over, the new coordinated decisions
Page 48 and 49: Water Scarcity in the WESCANA Regio
Page 50 and 51: 50 exposed to environmental hazards
Page 52 and 53: the Arab world, we have to rethink
Page 54 and 55: an institutional, policy, and ethic
Page 56 and 57: Traditionally, four theories govern
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The Conservation and Sustainable Use of Freshwater ... - IUCN

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