Research database

The MECAS project was initiated by universities, which are located in environmental disaster region, caused by the drying up of the Aral Sea as a result of ill-considered water use and agricultural policies. Low implementation of innovative solutions for the development of a “green” economy hinder the achievement of priority national goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development of the country. If environmental management policies are not immediately revised, the region's ecological system faces irreparable harm. The project aims to enhance the capacity of universities in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with a specific focus on environmental monitoring and nature management in the Aral Sea basin. The objectives are: improving the level of competences, skills, technical resources, and employability potential of students by developing and implementation of an innovative curriculum in Ecoinformatics for Master's study in line with national and EU policies and best practices. For that, establish strong scientific and academic links between EU, Uz and Kz partners, as well as with policy makers and relevant enterprises and NGOs to combine efforts for the future of the Aral Sea region With a focus on environmental management, the objectives of the Ecoinformatics MSc align with the priority areas of policy in EU, Uz and Kz, particularly in investing in knowledge and innovation for sustainable development.

• Pierluigi Leone (Principal Investigator)
• Angela Savia Spiteri (Component of the research team)