Strategic Environmental Assessment for Charvak Free Touristic Zone (FTZ “Charvak”) is financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and supported by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan (MEEPCC). The project aims to evaluate the effects of the tourism master plan in the Charvak region by conducting a pilot Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Furthermore, based on the insights gained from the evaluation, guidelines and resources will be provided to assist the Government of Uzbekistan in integrating SEA approaches into policy planning.

Objective 1 – Policy Identification
Support the Government of Uzbekistan in identifying a relevant strategy – Master plan of Tourism in Charvak Region

Objective 2 – SEA Mainstreaming
Mainstream capacities on SEA among all parties of the Government of Uzbekistan involved

Objective 3 – Stocktaking
Support the Government of Uzbekistan in reviewing and reflecting on the first experience and integrating SEAs into the local regulations

The project focuses on Charvak, located in the Bostanlik district of the northern Tashkent region, Republic of Uzbekistan. Charvak is a popular destination for recreation and tourism throughout the year due to its spectacular scenery and a number of summer and winter resorts.

However, the growing number of tourists has resulted in noticeable issues with waste management, transportation systems,
excessive energy consumption, and insufficient sanitation capacity.

Uzbekistan has not yet added Strategic Environmental Assessments into its planning tools. The country is in the process of updating the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law to include SEAs. Consequently, implementing a pilot program will offer an in-depth understanding of the process and assist in building the government’s capabilities for the integration of SEAs.

The project occurred in four phases, detailed below:

1. Screening phase (completed) involved developing an implementation plan for the pilot SEA process and collecting documents on the selected sector. Three policies were selected for this assessment.

2. Scoping phase (completed) identified stakeholders, the program’s key environmental aspects, environmental baseline’s scope, and formulates evaluation method recommendations, estimating project parameters for the SEA. Eight sustainability issues were identified during this phase.

3. SEA Study (in-progress) develops general guidance material, quality control checklist and provides an analysis of the impacts of tourism in the Charvak area using: (1) Baseline analysis; (2) narrowing the selection; (3) providing an investment solution.

4. Stocktaking & Learning (next phase) aims to enhance technical capacities of government officials through three SEA training modules, providing recommendations and options to mainstream SEAs as well as general guidance material and a quality control checklist. Investment projects are presented to help avoid/mitigate the negative environmental impacts of tourism in the area. Participants will attend several workshops to learn effective application of the collected materials.