In December 2021, the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) National Committee of Turkmenistan was established, consisting of 9 members who are scientists and leading specialists in the country. The MAB Committee elected as its chairperson, Mr Jumamurat Saparmuradov, PHD of Biological Sciences and the Head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Hydrometeorology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
The activities of the National Committee will be aimed at developing the long-term UNESCO International programme «Man and the Biosphere» in Turkmenistan, promoting the tasks of MAB for the conservation of biological diversity, improving and strengthening the socio-economic and cultural living conditions of the country's population in order to ensure the sustainability of the environment.
The study and protection of biodiversity continues in the nine state nature reserves in Turkmenistan, each of which works independently but within an integrated framework for research into ecosystems. These nature reserves are located in three biographical provinces: Turan, (Repetek, Amu Darya, Gaplangyr and Bereketli-Garagum reserves), Mountain-Central Asian (Koytendag) and Kopetdag-Horasan (Kopetdag and Sunt-Hasardag). The ecosystem at the junction of the Karakum desert, the Kopetdag-Khorasan Mountains and foothills of Parapamiz is represented in the Badkhyz State Reserve.
The Executive Secretary of the Turkmen National Commission for UNESCO stated that: “Following the specific instructions of the leader of the nation to further strengthen the cooperation with UNESCO within the framework of the MAB programme, the country is actively working with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on the preparation of the transnational nominations “Turan deserts of the temperate zone”. Within this framework, it is planned to nominate three nature reserves of Turkmenistan - Repetek, Bereketli-Garagum and Kaplankyr - for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
The creation of the National Committee of the UNESCO MAB programme will provide the opportunity for Turkmenistan to actively participate in the activities of the existing regional networks of the MAB, including the Network of Biosphere Reserves of South and Central Asia (SACAM) and the East Asian Network (EABRN), as well as to create a new regional network that will unite the countries of the Northern Eurasia region.
Currently, Turkmenistan has one Biosphere Reserve, Repetek Biosphere Reserve, which was included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 1979.