Issues of cooperation on the Ustyurt Plateau on biodiversity conservation were discussed in Nukus

    Environment 24 May 2023 1508

    A meeting was held in Karakalpakstan with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.

    At the meeting in Nukus, issues of cooperation on the Ustyurt Plateau, a cross-border hotspot identified by the Central Asian Mammal Initiative (CAMI), were discussed The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Also at the event, representatives of the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan presented updated information on species migrating along the Kazakh-Uzbek border.

    Animal monitoring was carried out within the framework of the newly introduced monitoring and SMART patrol system with the support of the GIZ environmentally Oriented Regional Development project in the Aral Sea region and the Mikhail Zukkov Foundation.

    It should be noted that the installed camera traps along the borders showed an abundance of wild animals along the border fence.

    In addition, participants from Kazakhstan presented a project of a new cluster section of the Yujno-Ustyurt State Nature Reserve adjacent to the borders of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

    The participants discussed close cooperation between the three protected natural territories, considered the possibilities of creating a cross-border protected area.

    Representatives of Turkmenistan expressed interest in participating in future discussions, as well as in providing information on the monitoring of the Kaplankyr Reserve.

    The meeting approved the commitments made by the countries within the framework of the CAIM Action Plan for the Protection of Central Asian Mammals and ensuring their natural migration.

    The event ended with a trip to Sudochie Lake of the “Sudochie-Akpetki” State Reserve and the Aral Sea.