In Karakalpakstan, in the city of Nukus, representatives of the environmental agencies of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan discussed issues of cross-border cooperation on biodiversity conservation, reports UzDaily.uz .

It was about interaction on the Ustyurt plateau and the cross-border territory defined by the Central Asian Mammal Initiative (CAMI) The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

Ustyurt is a plateau with an area of about 200 thousand square kilometers and is a clay-gravelly desert. It is often called the border between Asia and Europe. Among the inhabitants of the plateau there are feathered predators - vultures, eagles, as well as representatives of mammals - saigas, argali, and even wild horses.

Animal monitoring was carried out within the framework of the monitoring and SMART patrol system with the support of the Mikhail Zukkov Foundation and the GIZ project - environmentally oriented regional development in the Aral Sea region. Installed camera traps along the borders showed an abundance of wild animals along the border fence.

At the meeting, Turkmen experts provided information on monitoring the Kaplankyr Nature Reserve, and experts from Kazakhstan presented a project for a new cluster section of the Yuzhno-Ustyurt State Nature Reserve adjacent to the borders of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The participants discussed cooperation between the three protected natural areas and considered the possibilities of creating a cross-border protected area.

The meeting participants also 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 the Sudochie Lake of the Sudochie-Akpetki State Reserve and the Aral Sea.

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