TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 4. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has conducted trainings for more than 100 Uzbek farmers on implementing Geographic Information System technologies (GIS) for advancing Uzbekistan’s forestry sector, Trend reports.
The trainings are organized in the Syrdarya, Papal, Kitab and Dehkanabad forestry enterprises of Uzbekistan within the framework of the Sustainable forest management in mountainous and valley regions of Uzbekistan project and conducted in cooperation with the Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan.
During the trainings, the participants studied modern methods of collecting information about forests and woody vegetation outside forests, about types of land use and taxometric characteristics of forest resources with much attention paid to the use of GIS technologies.
The data obtained by using GIS technologies could make it possible to optimize the maintenance and updating of forest management maps. Modern software is used for better analysis of forest ecosystems, inventory and monitoring of forest lands.
Meanwhile, in October this year, the project team led by FAO international consultant Bradley Patterson made field visits to all 4 forestry enterprises to monitor the work carried out in 2023.
Over the past period, drainage facilities have been created in the foothill areas of the pilot project sites to manage catchments on an area of more than 2,000 hectares, 180 seed sites have been created to improve the condition of 20,000 hectares of degraded pastures, technical work has been carried out on an area of 4,200 hectares to promote the natural renewal of forests.
In total, during the implementation of the project, work to ensure sustainable forest management was carried out on an area of 78,000 hectares.