2nd Samarkand Summer School 2025: Driving Innovation and Cooperation in Central Asia

From 16-21 June, the 23 participants – Young Professionals, Scientists and Master's students from all five Central Asian countries – learned about innovative approaches to sustainable land use and nature conservation and acquired skills in using the GIS software QGIS.

The diverse program – available as PDF here – combined expert lectures, hands-on workshops, field trips, and opportunities for international exchange. During various excursions, among others to the Amankutan National Park, and meetings with nature conservation practitioners, insights into practical GIS applications in conservation were provided and data collected for the development of maps. Furthermore, an important part of the summer school was sharing experience among participants in applying different innovative tools. 

The technical program was supplemented by a cultural part with excursions to Samarkand and its historic town – the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Cross-roads of Cultures”.

At the end of the summer school, participants were enthusiastic about the quality of the training and delighted with the acquired new skills and knowledge, which they can now apply directly in their fields of work. Furthermore, the regional approach of the summer school strengthened cross-border cooperation and networking.

The summer school, organized for the second time by Michael Succow Foundation as part of the ILUCA subproject, was hosted by Samarkand State University. Training sessions on GIS and Remote Sensing were conducted by lecturers from the Chair of Geodesy and Geoinformatics at the University of Rostock.

Photos: Bakhriev / Matkurbonov / Romanov / Tuvalov