Environment
Hundreds of lifeless Caspian seals washed ashore in Turkmenistan
Hundreds of dead seals were discovered in Turkmenistan, with the cause of their death unclear. Government officials seem to want to conceal the mass deaths of the Caspian seal, which… [...]
Kyrgyzstan: Poverty hides behind Bishkek’s smog
As winter arrives in Bishkek, the sun does not shine on Kyrgyzstan’s capital city and the inhabitants have to live in a constant cloud. This is no… [...]
Liquorice, an endangered commodity in Kazakhstan
Overexploited, even looted by poachers, Kazakh liquorice is in danger, Traffic International has warned. In a report published in April, the NGO describes a critical situation with the risk… [...]
Aralsk: Pictures of the Vanished Aral Sea
A PLACE IN CENTRAL ASIA – A victim of one of the greatest ecological catastrophes of the twentieth century, the Aral Sea, which is located in northern Uzbekistan and western… [...]
Aral Sea Monument
Aral Sea Monument in Moynaq placed above the former shore of the lake features the depictions of the Aral Sea in 1960 and the current state that are clearly… [...]
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By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We're independent and we need your help to stay that way!Breathing space: air quality and energy transition in Kazakhstan
There is little data about air pollution in Kazakhstan, though what does exist shows dangerous air quality levels. Researchers are working on measurements tools to give a more accurate picture… [...]
A disappearing river: the fate of the Ural
LIFE BY THE RIVER. More than four million people in Kazakhstan and Russia live in the Ural river basin. They are watching the river grow shallower as time goes by. [...]
Talas and its people: life by a Central Asian river affected by climate change
LIFE BY THE RIVER. Three million people in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan live by the Talas River, where there is less and less water every year. This article was originally… [...]
Kyrgyzstan: why Bishkek’s air quality is so poor
Out in the foothills near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, one can observe a dark cloud hanging over the city throughout the year. ЛИВЕНЬ Living Asia looked into how polluted… [...]
Troubled waters: Turkmenistan’s environmental policy
Turkmenistan celebrates 30 years of independence in 2021. But what does its past and current environmental policy look like, and what does it reveal about the country? In an… [...]
Kazakhstan: replenishing the Aral Sea’s fish stocks
Living Asia’s journalists took a trip to the North Aral Sea, in Kazakhstan, where they witnessed the opening of a fish breeding plant, a hatchery. There, they saw the full… [...]
The Aral Sea artemia: small shrimp, high stakes
The artemia, or brine shrimp, a small crustacean that lives in salt water, has become the main product of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek government has recently centralised… [...]