During 2025, Termez State University (TerSU) participated in international scientific research with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China). The work concerned the collection and analysis of environmental information on desertification in the Kattaqum area of Surkhandarya, Uzbekistan, contributing to research relevant to SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
International partnership and research setting
On 26 July 2025, TerSU publicly reported research undertaken by its Regional Research Centre in collaboration with scientists from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography. The activities followed Surkhandarya Regional Administration assignment No. 04-04/1636, dated 11 July 2025. The study area covered the Kattaqum desert in the Termez and Jarkurgan districts, where shifting sands and hot, dry winds affect nearby settlements.
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INSTITUTIONAL PARTICIPANT TerSU Regional Research Centre and Research Department |
INTERNATIONAL PARTNER Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
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REPORTING PERIOD 2025 (official project report: 26 July) |
STUDY AREA Kattaqum, Termez and Jarkurgan districts, Surkhandary |
Joint environmental data-gathering activities
The university’s contemporaneous project account identifies the following scientific activities undertaken within the international collaboration:
· Field investigation and monitoring. On-site examination of desert landscapes and the adverse effects of mobile sands and hot desert winds.
· Remote sensing. Use of remote-sensing approaches to examine environmental conditions in the study area.
· Geographical mapping and analysis. Spatial analysis of the affected territory to support understanding of desertification risks and land-management needs.
Figure 1. Documented environmental observation and analysis methods reported by TerSU in 2025.
International researchers and environmental observation
Follow-up reporting by TerSU identified Professor Kaihui Li, Professor Shengyu Li and research assistants from the Chinese partner institute as participants alongside TerSU researchers. The international team visited the Surkhandarya Hydrometeorological Centre, where they examined practices for meteorological, hydrological, agroclimatic and ecological observations.
Relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals
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SDG TARGET |
RELATION TO THE REPORTED 2025 ACTIVITIES |
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SDG 15 - Target 15.3 |
Field monitoring, remote sensing and mapping provide research information relevant to desertification and land degradation. |
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SDG 13 - Target 13.1 |
The assessment of shifting sands and extreme hot winds is relevant to understanding climate-related environmental risks and potential adaptation responses. |
Institutional contribution
TerSU’s 2025 engagement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences demonstrates practical international collaboration in environmental data gathering. Researchers from Uzbekistan and China jointly examined the Kattaqum landscape through monitoring, remote sensing and mapping, connecting field-based evidence with scientific assessment of desertification and climate-related environmental risks. This provides a documented institutional example of international research activity relevant to SDGs 13 and 15.
OFFICIAL EVIDENCE SOURCES
TerSU SDG portal — Kattaqum research report (26 July 2025) — Documents project location, partner, monitoring, remote sensing and mapping.