The article examines the formation of the concept of environmental history, its theoretical foundations, and scientific approaches to research. The stages of environmental history development as an independent scientific field are analyzed, and its interdisciplinary nature and significance in studying the relationship between nature and society are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the practical importance of environmental history using the example of the Aral Sea basin in Central Asia. The role of historical and environmental analysis in identifying the causes of ecological crises and developing scientifically grounded solutions for sustainable development is substantiated.

environmental history, nature–society interaction, interdisciplinary approach, Aral Sea, water policy, ecological crisis, geoecology.

Hughes J. D. What is Environmental History? — Cambridge: Polity Press, 2016. — 180 p.

McNeill J. R. Observations on the Nature and Culture of Environmental History // History and Theory. — 2003. — Vol. 42. — P. 5–10.

Worster D. The Two Cultures Revisited: Environmental History and the Environmental Sciences // Environment and History. — 1996. — Vol. 2. — No. 1. — P. 3–14.

Cronon W. A Place for Stories: Nature, History, and Narrative // The Journal of American History. — 1992. — Vol. 78. — No. 4. — P. 1347–1376.

Peterson M. K. Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia’s Aral Sea Basin. — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. — 350 p.

Frenken K. Irrigation in Central Asia in Figures. — Rome: FAO, 2013. — 265 p.

Dukhovny V. A. Water Resources Management in Central Asia. — Tashkent: SIC ICWC, 2010. — 112 p.

Micklin P. The Aral Sea Disaster // Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. — 2007. — Vol. 35. — P. 47–72.

Glantz M. Sustainable Development and the Aral Sea. — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. — 294 p.

Zonn I. S. The Aral Sea Encyclopedia.-Berlin: Springer, 2010. — 290 p.

Плотников И. С., Аладин Н. В. Современное состояние остаточных водоемов Аралского моря. — СПб.: ЗИН РАН, 2004. — 96 с.