The expedition was held with the financial support of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan and in partnership with the Agency of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea for the implementation of projects in the Aral Sea basin.

The event was attended by leading scientists and experts from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Karakalpak State University, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and other relevant organizations.

Fieldwork included observations of water levels and salinity, description of vegetation conditions, GPS mapping, and collection and preliminary analysis of biodiversity data. Modern monitoring techniques were used, including bioindication, an effective tool for assessing the state of the environment based on the reaction of living organisms.

"Monitoring of the Sudochie wetland ecosystem is not only of scientific, but also of strategic importance. The results of the expedition serve as a basis for assessing changes caused by both climate change and anthropogenic factors, and allow us to formulate proposals for the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of degraded territories in the Aral Sea region," said Ambassador Antti Karttunen, OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, who also joined the expedition. "We are pleased to support efforts to preserve biodiversity in one of the most vulnerable regions of Central Asia, especially in the year declared the Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy in Uzbekistan."

According to Aborjon Karimov, the project manager and an employee of the Agency of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, who participated in the expedition, "Monitoring on Sudochye is not just data collection. This is a contribution to the sustainability of the region. We capture changes that cannot be seen with the naked eye and turn them into the basis for specific solutions. Thanks to the support of the OSCE, the expedition was organized at a high level and conducted in compliance with all safety standards."

The OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan has been supporting the International Fund for Biodiversity Monitoring in the Aral Sea region since 2016. The expedition to Sudochye Lake is part of a broader initiative for the sustainable management of natural resources and the development of environmental sustainability in Central Asia. OSCE support helps Uzbekistan not only to fulfill its international obligations under the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, but also to introduce modern approaches to environmental management.