Fifteen Kazakh and Uzbek journalists and bloggers recently visited the Aral Sea which lies between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The goal was to research the environmental issues facing the area. The trips were organized by the International Center for Journalism MediaNet (based in Kazakhstan) in cooperation with DW Akademie and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).

The project aims at increasing awareness and visibility of ecological issues and supporting environmental reporting in the region. Participants will prepare multimedia stories that will be distributed via traditional and social media. The reports will show how local people live and struggle as water levels fall. The lake is the main source of local income.

The journalists visited local towns and villages, a national park, fish farms, local small and middle businesses and the delta of the river Syr Darya. "We need to inform about the Aral not to attract foreign investment but so the population of Pre-Aral and the whole region learn lessons from this ecologic catastrophe," said Ogulbibi Amanniyazova, a Kazakh participant.

Uzbek journalists also visited the plateau Ustyurt, a dry lake called Barsa-Kelmes, a "cemetery" of ships and spoke to locals about their daily challenges. Both Kazakh and Uzbek participants received training in environmental and multimedia reporting earlier in the year.

The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest lake in the world. It has largely dried out due to the diversion of water from its supplying rivers for agricultural irrigation. The waters still left in the sea are practically "dead." The shrinkage of the lake caused immense social, economic as well as ecological consequences for the whole region. Kuntugan Turganbaev still fishes the lake.

Not that long ago, the Aral Sea used to be fish heaven for its inhabitants. How do the fishermen of Aral exist today around the nearly vanished sea? What has happened to the biodiversity of the region? Participants of the media tours will show the story through the eyes of former and current fishermen like these workers at the Kamistibas fish farm.

"I have been writing on environmental issues for the last 30 years. But I did not dare to cover the Aral story without visiting it. Finally it happened," said Natalia Shulepina from Uzbekistan.

The multimedia stories will feature the cultural and sightseeing spots around the region that have been revealed through the shrinkage of the sea.

Many local inhabitants have left their villages and homes for good because of the diminishing sea. Others stayed and have learned to survive in these dry, sandy and salty lands.

The shrinkage of the sea has caused radical changes in South and North Pre-Aral regions. Drought, water shortage and land degradation have negatively impacted local agriculture and animal farming. Nevertheless, the local population tries to adapt to these drastic changes by introducing new skills and practices.

The participants will also report about the consequences of chemical pollution in the sea. Sandstorms now spread sand tainted with chemical contaminants. This has triggered a health crisis. To mitigate the risks, state and international organizations have started a project to plant saksaul, one of the rare plants that can grow in sand.

"New generations have been raised without even knowing about the history of the Aral Sea. It is important to cover these ecologic issues so that people learn how to take care of nature," said Nursulu Murzakhmetova, a journalist from Kazakhstan.