Call for Papers: Regional Sustainability Special Issue--Green Transformation in Uzbekistan: Bridging Science, Policy, and Community Action for Sustainability
2026-06-18
Call for Papers
Regional Sustainability Special Issue
Green Transformation in Uzbekistan: Bridging Science, Policy, and Community Action for Sustainability
I. Context
Uzbekistan, the most populous country in Central Asia, is characterized by a distinctive landscape of arid lowlands, intensively irrigated river valleys, and semi-desert and desert ecosystems. Situated in the heart of the ancient Silk Road, the nation depends heavily on the transboundary waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya—two rivers that sustain the majority of its agricultural production, including cotton, wheat, and horticulture. However, the sustainability of Uzbekistan is severely challenged by an exceptionally pressing water–energy–food–environment (WEFE) nexus. Decades of large-scale irrigation expansion, combined with aging infrastructure, have resulted in widespread soil salinization and waterlogging. The consequent dramatic desiccation of the Aral Sea stands as one of the most severe anthropogenic ecological disasters in modern history.
Climate change is intensifying these pressures. Rising evaporation rates, more variable river flows, and increasingly frequent droughts threaten water security, agricultural livelihoods, and rural stability. Biodiversity is under growing strain due to habitat loss, overgrazing, and land degradation. Meanwhile, air quality issues—particularly elevated concentrations of dust and sand originating from dried lakebeds and disturbed landscapes—pose significant public health risks across the region. Despite recent policy reforms aimed at agricultural modernization, water-saving technologies, and a transition toward a greener economy, substantial gaps remain between scientific knowledge, policy implementation, and community-level action.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—especially SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land)—provide a framework for operationalizing sustainability in Uzbekistan’s vulnerable dryland systems. This Special Issue invites cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that addresses the country’s pressing environmental and developmental challenges. It seeks to bridge science, policy, and community action by promoting integrated approaches to sustainable water use, land restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation, with a strong emphasis on transboundary cooperation and local stakeholder engagement.
II. Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Mountain and foothill ecosystems: biodiversity, land use, and community stewardship;
(2) Water resources and irrigation systems under climate change;
(3) Sustainable agriculture and crop diversification in irrigated lowlands;
(4) Transboundary water governance and the water–energy–food–environment (WEFE) nexus;
(5) Desert ecosystems, land degradation, and the Aral Sea environmental crisis;
(6) Climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation pathways;
(7) Policy, institutional frameworks, and technological innovations for a green transition.
III. About Regional Sustainability
Regional Sustainability is an international, peer-reviewed journal sponsored by Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Served as a platform for researchers to explore the relationships among environment, economy and society, the journal publishes high-quality articles in multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects relating to environmental protection, economic development and social development.
The journal operates under an open access model. All published articles are made immediately and permanently available under an open access license. This ensures that readers worldwide can freely read, download, copy, and distribute the work in accordance with the journal’s sharing policies.
In 2026, the journal received its 2025 Journal Impact Factor (JIF) following its inclusion in ESCI, achieving a score of 5.9. This placed the journal in the Q1 category for Environmental Studies (35/202) and Q1 for Environmental Sciences (92/395). In this year, the journal attained a Scopus CiteScore citation metric of 8.9, ranking within the Q1 category in the fields of Urban Studies (12/295; 96th), Development (19/314; 94th), and Geography, Planning and Development (66/876; 92nd).
IV. Special Issue Editor Team
Guest Editor-in-Chief:
Yuanming Zhang, Director General of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (E-mail: zhangym@ms.xjb.ac.cn)
Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Environment, Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change Republic of Uzbekistan (E-mail: a.abdukhakimov@eco.gov.uz)
Guest Editors:
Turdikulova Shahlo, Professor, Vice President of Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan (E-mail: Shahlo.ut@gmail.com)
Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Professor, National Research University of Uzbekistan (E-mail: egamberdieva@yahoo.com)
German Kust, Professor of the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences (E-mail: kust@igras.ru)
Keping Ma, Professor, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (E-mail: kpma@ibcas.ac.cn)
Hossein Akhani, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran (E-mail: hakhani@ut.ac.ir)
V. Submission of Full Papers
The “Green Transformation in Uzbekistan: Bridging Science, Policy, and Community Action for Sustainability” Special Issue Editor Team invites original research and review articles that align with the scope outlined above. Submissions should focus on green sustainability in Uzbekistan. Comparative studies and methodological papers are also welcome, provided they are relevant to the topics of this Special Issue.
Please carefully read and follow the Guide for Authors at: http://regsus.xjegi.com/EN/column/column23.shtml
Before submitting paper, please create a user account and submit all relevant files online at: https://www.editorialmanager.com/regsus
When submitting manuscript online, please select the “Green Transformation in Uzbekistan: Bridging Science, Policy, and Community Action for Sustainability” in the Editorial Manager system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/regsus), then proceed with the submission.
The submission period for this Special Issue is as follows:
- Submission Opens: 20 June 2026
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2026