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Facing Pressures, Koytendag Nature Refuge in Turkmenistan Aims for UNESCO Status

Limestone canyons and grassy plateaus. Vultures, lynx and markhor, a wild goat known for its corkscrew-style horns. Pistachio trees and juniper forests. The fossilized footprints of dinosaurs and a cave that runs three kilometers into the ground. The Koytendag State Nature Reserve and surrounding areas in eastern Turkmenistan are a stunning refuge of biodiversity next to Uzbekistan and near Afghanistan. The ecosystem includes river valley plains as well as Ayrybaba, Turkmenistan’s highest mountain at 3,137 meters. Some 50,000 people live in the area. Conservationists are assessing whether the region, which faces pressures such as agricultural encroachment, illegal hunting and unregulated tourism, can become a UNESCO natural world heritage site. [caption id="attachment_20918" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Researchers at the mouth of Koytendag’s Kaptarkhana cave (Image: CLLC)[/caption] There are efforts to reframe the bid for UNESCO status as a “transnational nomination” that pairs Koytendag with Uzbekistan’s adjoining Surkhan State Nature Reserve and could reduce barriers to the movement of wildlife between the two areas. The Koytendag reserve encompasses about 27,000 hectares and the total area of the proposed heritage space in Turkmenistan is 122,000 hectares, according to UNESCO. The U.N. agency says Koytendag is somewhat similar to other mountainous reserves in Central Asia - Chatkal in Uzbekistan, Aksu-Dzhabagly in Kazakhstan and Sary-Chelek in Kyrgyzstan – “but unlike them has a number of highly distinctive geological features.” Turkmenistan’s “system of protected areas,” which includes mountain, desert and marine ecosystems, covers 4.38% of the country, or just over 2,150,000 hectares, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said. Turkmen officials have been working with international conservation groups to protect and restore biodiversity. Conservation X Labs, or CXL, has outfitted some Turkmen rangers with new field uniforms, including those at Koytendag reserve, according to Tatjana Rosen, director of Central Asia Programs for the U.S.-based group. [caption id="attachment_20920" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Panoramic view of the Koytendag reserve (Image: CLLC)[/caption] Rosen also said CXL and another group, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, hired an international expert in SMART conservation technology and bought rugged Blackview phones where the SMART software is downloaded. Koytendag rangers have the devices and can use the technology to collect, analyze and report data from the field. Integrating the technology at the national level is ongoing. Another international donor active at Koytendag is the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, which has funded the conservation of pistachio orchards, the improvement of water supply, the education of local communities about the environment and other projects. Last year, national and international conservationists conducted a weeklong field mission in Koytendag, surveying flora and fauna and also talking to local communities. At one point, the team chatted with shepherds tending their flocks about sustainable use of pastures and other employment options. “Overall, it was noted that jobs are scarce in the villages and the demand for shepherding continues to increase,” the Center for Large Landscape Conservation said in a report on the trip. A meeting of conservationists followed soon after in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital. Speleologists have been interested in Koytendag's elaborate cave...

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U.S. Program Promotes Women Entrepreneurship in Turkmenistan

On June 8, participants in the first Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program in Turkmenistan submitted their business proposals to a panel of experts in Ashgabat. The event marked the conclusion of the AWE program launched by the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan in partnership with the Union of Economists of Turkmenistan in March this year. As reported by the U.S. Embassy, the ‘graduation’ ceremony was the culmination of three months’ work, consisting of an online business course developed by Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, weekly face-to-face sessions, and the development of a business plan. AWE is a U.S. State Department program that provides women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks and access required to start and grow successful businesses. The first 50 Turkmen graduates of the program now join a global community of over 25,000 AWE alumnae. Opening the event, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Vaida Vidugiris said: “We are so pleased that this year, Turkmenistan joined more than 100 participating countries of AWE. I am especially proud that this program took place not only in Ashgabat, but also in Dashoguz, Mary, and Turkmenabat where we have our American Corners. It underscores our belief in the untapped potential of women entrepreneurs who, with the right support and resources, can transform economies, uplift communities, and inspire future generations.”

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One Dead and Six Missing in Turkmenistan Mudslides

One soldier has been killed and six are missing during mudslides caused by recent heavy rains in Turkmenistan. It is being reported that the man died at the Serakhs border outpost in Akhal province. "On May 17, around 17:00 hours, seven soldiers from the 16-border outpost of the Border Troops connection in Serakhs [on the border with Iran] went missing. The body of one of them was found May 18. The searches for the other six soldiers continue," an anonymous source commented. "The search work is being carried out by the border troops' forces of the adjacent territories," the source said. Special means, such as drones or helicopters, are not involved in the search operations. The source adds that on the day of the incident, the soldiers were sent to repair the automobile roads next to the military unit, which were washed away by mud-flows. The Turkmen government is trying to stop information about the incident from being published, and "it is dangerous to ask and inquire about the details". But in conversations among themselves, servicemen are discussing that "sending soldiers in such weather to this area was a wrong decision and the cause of the accident was the negligence of the commanders and management of the border guard unit." "It was not possible to get comments on the disappearance of several soldiers and the death of at least one of them from the Turkmen authorities, including the aforementioned military unit," the source notes. For almost ten days, Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat has been flooded with rain, in what local meteorologists think have been the worst downpours since the 1970s. The rain has caused significant damage to the city’s infrastructure. The Akhal province has also been badly affected, with agricultural land flooded. Mud-flows hit the cities of Anev and Kahka, and in many areas electricity and part of the rail network were shut down. However, there have been no reports in Turkmen media about the rains and the damage they are causing.

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Turkmenistan Bans People From Talking About the Weather

For almost ten days Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat has been flooded with rain, in what local meteorologists think have been the worst downpours since the 1970s. The rain has caused significant damage to the city's infrastructure. The Akhal province has also been badly affected, with agricultural land flooded. Mudflows hit the cities of Anev and Kahka, and in many areas electricity and part of the rail network were shut down. However, there have been no reports in Turkmen media about the rains and the damage they are causing. Turkmenistan's law enforcement agencies have taken unprecedented measures to prevent photos and videos of the downpours from appearing on social networks. According to Radio Azatlyk, internet speed has slowed down, working VPNs are blocked, and IMO messenger has almost stopped working. A Turkmenabad police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said of the order from above: "We have been ordered to prevent the leakage of defamatory photos and videos abroad. It was explained to us that if defamatory information gets into the hands of the West or the U.S. State Department, this information can be used to destabilize the domestic situation." The situation is the same in Ashgabat. Security services are identifying and taking to police stations citizens who have shared photos and videos on social media of the rains, and the damage caused by the rains in Ashgabat and the provinces. "In Ashgabat, cars could not move along the streets, people were swept away by the water pressure, and some of them were badly hurt. In the suburbs, houses and farms were flooded, farmers may be left without any income. There are many casualties, but there are no fatalities among the residents. Now the situation is gradually normalizing, and the authorities are eliminating the consequences of the flooding," one Ashgabat resident told The Times of Central Asia.

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UNDP and British Embassy to Help Increase the Capacity of Turkmenistan’s Boards of Lawyers

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the British Embassy in Turkmenistan have signed a Contribution Agreement in support of “Increasing the Capacity of the Boards of Lawyers in Turkmenistan.” The initiative to be implemented jointly by the UNDP and Boards of Lawyers in Turkmenistan, aims to enhance the latter’s capacity to provide legal aid in accordance with international standards including: UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, Basic Principles Concerning the Role of Lawyers, and Standards of Independence of the Legal Community adopted by the International Bar Association. The project will also assist the Boards of Lawyers in the establishment of a National Chamber of Lawyers in Turkmenistan. The new body will represent and safeguard the interests of lawyers, coordinate the Boards of Lawyers’ activities in Ashgabat and across the country’s regions, ensure high-quality legal assistance, and address issues which impact the legal community's interests. UNDP will also assist in digitizing the Boards of Lawyers' operations in Turkmenistan.

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USAID Funds Improved Water Management in Turkmenistan

On 2 May the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Committee for Water Resources of Turkmenistan launched a new metering system to measure water flow on the Karakum River near Ashgabat. Financed with a grant from USAID Central Asia’s Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity, the system offers a powerful means by which the country can sustain water availability and build climate resilience. As reported by the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, by providing real-time data to the State Committee for Water Resources, the new system will enable a more efficient allocation of water to agriculture, households, and industry. The World Bank has forecast that because of climate change, the volume of water flowing from tributaries of the Amu Darya River into Turkmenistan could drop by 25% in July and August, and consequently could impact supplies of drinking water and water needed to produce wheat and cotton. Within this context, the new metering system will provide the invaluable information about flow rates and water withdrawals on the Karakum River and in turn, allow the government to advise farmers of the precise amount of water needed for crop growth.