North Aral Sea regains a third of its water thanks to restoration efforts spearheaded by Kazakhstan

For decades the shrinking Aral Sea has been the poster child for environmental catastrophe. Behind images of rusty fishing boat shells sitting awkwardly among the sand dunes lies a story of human recklessness and an insatiable thirst for resources.

Once the fourth largest lake on Earth, the Aral Sea is fed by two rivers that originate in the high mountains of Central Asia.