The history of economic development in the Aral region and its influence on the environment

Abstract

The current ecological crisis in the Aral basin is a result of a number of factors, including specific features of the history of economic activity of the local population. Interaction of sedentory farmers of oases and nomads of steppes and deserts was of the most importance. Periods of political centralization coincided with the rise and spread of irrigation-based farming, and vice versa, the reduction of irrigated areas occurred in troubled war and crises time. In modern times the total area of ancient irrigation lands in the lower reaches of Amu Darya and Syr Darya has mounted to 4,5 mln hectares. Complex archaeological study of these areas has made possible the reconstruction of complicated history of the development of irrigation and irrigation-based farming.