The event was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the assistance of the Kazakhstan Biodiversity Conservation Fund and the International Union for Nature Conservation.
The event was attended by employees of the state environmental agencies of the three countries, heads of protected natural areas included in the UNESCO site "Western Tien Shan", representatives of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other international organizations, as well as experts from scientific institutes of Uzbekistan.
The meeting was held in the administrative building of the Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve, where participants were able to get acquainted with the activities of the reserve, the visitor center and the nature museum.
Along with the discussion of the implementation of the Action Plan for the IOD "Western Tien Shan", the participants were provided with information about the programs and activities of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the field of protected natural areas, as well as activity within the framework of IUCN projects in the "Western Tien Shan" region.
During the meeting, the participants noted the importance of strengthening cross-border cooperation between the 8 protected natural territories of the three countries that are components of the Western Tien Shan IOD in the areas of research and conservation activities, as well as the development of ecotourism and eco-education activities.
The events planned on these issues were reflected in the decision adopted at the end of the meeting, which was unanimously supported by the participants. Also, representatives of the countries approved the proposal of the Uzbek side to declare July 17 as the Day of the World Heritage Site "Western Tien Shan", in honor of the date of the decision to include the transnational object in the World Heritage List, timed to this day the annual joint holding of various events in the participating countries.
The decision of the third meeting of the Regional Committee also welcomes the further development of cooperation with the IUCN on the development of cross-border cooperation and strengthening of the system of protected natural territories of the countries.
The main achievements during the events were the strengthening of cross-border dialogue between the countries, the development of cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as the possibility of ensuring the preservation of the natural heritage of the Western Tien Shan not only at the national but also at the regional level by combining the efforts of the three countries.
For information: The Western Tien Shan object is part of the Central Asian Tien Shan mountain system - one of the seven largest mountain chains in the world. The height of various sections of the western Tien Shan varies from 700 to 4503 meters. This object is replete with diverse landscapes, which are characterized by exceptionally rich biodiversity.
