Turkmenistan

Asia

Documented species

Parks and reserves

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Turkmenistan is covered for close to eighty per cent by the Karakum, the desert of black sands, an immense expanse of dunes, clay plains and salt depressions crossed by the longest artificial canal in the world. To the south, the Kopet Dag mountains mark the border with Iran and hold juniper woodland, wild pistachio and a fauna of Iranian affinity that includes the Persian leopard. In the southeast, the Badhyz plateau keeps open pistachio woodland and steppe that make up the last great refuge of the kulan, the Asiatic wild ass of Central Asia. In the west, the Caspian coast and the bay of Kara-Bogaz-Gol, a hypersaline lagoon connected to the sea by a narrow channel, hold Caspian seals and large concentrations of wintering waterbirds.

The nature of Turkmenistan

National animal: The Akhal-Teke horse, the national animal, present on the state coat of arms

Did you know?

The Akhal-Teke horse, bred in these oases for more than three thousand years, is one of the oldest horse breeds in existence and shows a unique feature: the structure of its hair refracts light in such a way that its coat looks metallic, with golden or silver sheens depending on the angle. It is the country's national animal, appears on the state coat of arms and has its own annual festival.

Biodiversity profile

Asia CentralSolo 5% del territorio protegido segun analisis comparativo internacional (uno de los mas bajos entre paises analizados junto a Algeria y Bangladesh)

Climate

•Continental arido y semiarido (BWh/BWk), con el Desierto de Karakum (80% del territorio) dominando el paisaje

Main biomes

•Desierto de Karakum (arenas rodantes, mesetas arenosas y llanuras aluviales)
•Bosque y estepa forestal de montaña en el Kopet Dag, al suroeste, frontera con Iran
•Desierto de arena del Karakum
•Meseta de pistachales
•Montaña árida de Kopet Dag
•Laguna hipersalina
•Bosque de ribera tugai
•Depresión salina
•Litoral del Caspio

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Costa del Mar Caspio al oeste

Flagship wildlife

•Leopardo persa (Kopet Dag)
•Gato de las arenas
•Onagro o asno salvaje asiatico
•Cabra montes bezoar
•Caballo ajal-teké
•Kulan
•Gacela de Persia
•Foca del Caspio
•Cabra bezoar
•Flamenco común
•Águila esteparia
•Muflón de Ustyurt
•Tortuga esteparia

Notable endemic species

•Mas de 2.000 especies de plantas vasculares registradas, incluyendo 462 especies reliquia y endemicas, concentradas principalmente en las montañas del sur (Kopet Dag), con numerosos arboles frutales de importancia economica
•Muflón de Turkmenistán

Notable threatened species

•Leopardo persa (En Peligro, poblacion muy reducida en el Kopet Dag, foco de cooperacion transfronteriza con Iran)
•Onagro o asno salvaje asiatico (Casi Amenazado)

Notable protected areas

•Reserva Natural de Gaplañgyr (parte del sitio Patrimonio Mundial de los Desiertos de Inviernos Frios de Turan, 2023)
•Reserva Natural de Koytendag (en proceso de nominacion transfronteriza con Uzbekistan)
•Reserva Estatal de Badhyz
•Reserva de Kopetdag
•Reserva de Hazar en el Caspio
•Reserva de Repetek
•Cañones de Yangykala
•Cráter de Darvaza

Main conservation threats

•Baja cobertura de areas protegidas en comparacion con estandares internacionales
•Sobreexplotacion de agua de los rios Amu Daria y Kara Kum, vinculada tambien a la crisis del Mar de Aral
•Caza furtiva de grandes mamiferos

Notable natural phenomena

•El crater de gas de Darvaza ("Puerta del Infierno"), un fenomeno geologico unico ardiendo desde hace decadas en pleno Desierto de Karakum

Conservation

Badhyz holds the most important kulan population in the world and has served as the source for reintroductions in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Water abstraction for cotton irrigation compromises the river ecosystems of the Amu Darya.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Badhyz in spring for kulans and gazelles. Kopet Dag between April and June for flora and mountain birds. The Hazar coast between November and February for waterbirds and seals.

Sources: blogs.worldbank.org - Revisiting protected areas biodiversity conservation | Wikipedia - Wildlife of Turkmenistan | Wikipedia - Gaplañgyr Nature Reserve

Desert Mountain Grassland