Paper abstract:

The roots of today's environmental problems in the territory of Uzbekistan began with the occupation of Turkestan by the Russian Empire through the colonial policy in the region. One of the goals of the Russian Empire in the conquest of Turkestan was to own the country's underground and surface resources, to supply the Russian textile industry with raw cotton. To achieve this goal, the Russian Empire, in violation of the laws of nature, plundered the natural resources, flora and fauna of the region and seriously damaged the nature and ecology of the country without using them wisely.

In particular, in the process of occupying the country, they created grounds for environmental problems in the country by demolishing dams that were vital for urban and rural residents, or by owning water sources and not supplying water to non-surrendered areas. In order to expand cotton fields in the country, to develop new lands and to establish cotton monopoly, cotton fields and other agricultural crops had been irrigated through many new artificial irrigation facilities from the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers. Due to the improper use of water by the Governor-General of Turkestan, the amount of water flowing into the Aral Sea gradually decreased, and in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the region experienced an environmental catastrophe such as the Aral Sea tragedy.

This article examines the above issues and examines the consequences of the damage brought by the Russian Empire to the nature and environment of Turkestan. It is based on a careful reading and research of 20 documents from more than 10 funds of the National Archives of Uzbekistan, as well as scientific literature, which contains information about Russia's irrational use of natural resources in Turkestan and the damage to the region's environment. These data show the attitude of the Russian Empire to the ecosystem in Turkestan.