干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Environmental sustainability of natural water ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin has been upset in the past 40-50 years. Lack of a transparent water resources management strategy has resulted in deterioration of the nature manifested in desertification, land salinization, waterlogging, formation of brackish lakes in depressions, disappearance of natural lakes in delta and a general deterioration of quality of water resources. To assess environmental sustainability of water sources of various genetic types it is necessary to identify the criteria characterizing their basic ecological dualities with due regard for securing an acceptable habitat within which the key hydrobionts (taxons) could exist. Control over the content of the established basic ecological criteria on the basis of the selected parameters will permit to take the necessary measures to sustain the water-related ecosystems.