Learning from the downstream Amudarya environmental management to ensure sustainable future of limited resources of the entire river basin and other Asian arid zone rivers

The international team consisting of the following environmental specialists will be having a field trip to Amu Darya Basin from August 3 to 15, 2012:
Dr. Oleg V. Shipin – Associate Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Mr. Habibullah Habib, former Vice-Chancellor, Balkh University, Mazar-e-Sharif;
Mr. Mohammad Qaasim, Project Manager, Balkh University, Mazar-e-Sharif. 
The main goal of the proposed field trip is to familiarize international water and environment experts through the field trip with the current environmental status of the Amu Darya downstream area (former delta) with a view to using experience gained in strategic planning of management of the environment in the upstream Amu Darya basin. Towns and areas along Amudarya (which are accessible in this border region, viz. Bukhara and Urgench) will also be visited and local environment investigated.
The activities on water management, traditional and high-tech irrigation systems, nature conservation are of usual concern in such arid situations globally.
Of particular interest are parallels with the recently visited Colorado River basin environmental management projects in terms of lessons learned and solutions found.