Under the framework of the international cooperation project of the Ministry of Innovation and Development of Uzbekistan "The Formation History and Current Development Trend of Vegetation in the Tugaic Forest in Uzbekistan in the Context of Global Hydroclimatic Condition Change and Human Impacts", in order to understand the vegetation community composition of the important rivers in Central Asia (such as Syr Darya River, Amu Darya River and Zeravshan River) and to explore the response mechanism of riparian forest ecosystem to hydroclimatic change, from April 22, 2023 to May 1, 2023, a desert riparian forest scientific survey team was formed by four Chinese researchers from Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography CAS (including Li Yaoming, Chinese Director of Bishkek Branch of Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RCEECA) ) and eight researchers from the Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan completed an 8-day field survey on desert riparian forest ecosystem.

During this survey, the team mainly entered the riparian forest of Zeravshan River, Syr Darya River, and Amu Darya River to conducted detailed investigation on vegetation community, and the tree core samples were collected. After the survey, the team visited the Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent Botanical Garden, where the team had a deep exchange with the young researchers of the Institute of Botany to understand their research achievements and research facilities.

During this survey, the team focused on advantageous riparian forest tree species, and they analyzed its annual ring width with an expectation to reveal the growth of the riparian forest and to conjecture the impact of hydroclimatic change in the past on it. This work not only provides a new perspective for us to understand the ecosystem change of the Syr Darya River, Amu Darya River and Zeravshan River basins in Central Asia, but also provides important clues for studying the mechanisms of global environmental change. In addition, the research achievements will not only contribute to more rational utilization of water resources, but also strongly promote the protection of riparian forests in arid areas for building a healthier ecological environment, providing scientific basis for sustainable development.