Guarding healthy ecosystems

Independent and permanently Neutral Turkmenistan actively participates on the international stage, proposing initiatives of both regional and global significance. Because these constructive proposals accommodate universal human interests and aim to strengthen global well-being, peace, and sustainable development, they receive warm support and broad recognition from the international community. Environmental diplomacy, under the wise leadership of the esteemed President, stands as a key vector of Turkmenistan’s peace-loving foreign policy course. As the Head of State noted in his keynote address at the high-level plenary meeting of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Turkmenistan proposes the establishment of a Regional Center for Technologies Related to Campaigning Against Desertification in Central Asia. "The creation of such a center will help combine regional capabilities, strengthen cooperation in environmental protection, and make a significant contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in combating climate change and conserving terrestrial ecosystems," the esteemed President emphasized.

Desertification is a global environmental and socio-economic problem that holds a special place among world-scale challenges. According to available expert estimates, arid lands—which are most vulnerable to the risk of desertification—make up about 47.5% of the planet's total landmass. This process represents a combination of physical-geographical and anthropogenic factors that lead to the degradation of all forms of organic life and the destruction of arid ecosystems.

At the global level, the issue of combating land degradation was first substantively addressed in 1977 at the UN Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro supported a proposal by developing countries on the necessity of preparing a comprehensive, specialized convention. In December of that same year, the UN General Assembly established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee with headquarters in Geneva to conduct international negotiations. As a result of the joint efforts of numerous international, regional, and national agencies, scientists, and specialists, the Convention was drafted and adopted on June 17, 1994. Since then, this date has been celebrated annually as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

The main objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are to prevent degradation processes caused by human activity, restore the biological productivity of depleted lands, and promote the rational use of land and water resources. Our sovereign homeland joined this international document in 1995, and in 1996, the Mejlis of Turkmenistan ratified it. Within the framework of implementing the Convention, large-scale activities have been deployed across our country. Key measures include transforming regions into flourishing oases, creating forest plantations, stabilizing shifting sands, and restoring natural pastures.

In the Central Asian region, food security and the incomes of about 60% of the population are directly linked to the agricultural sector. Under modern conditions, the secondary salinization of irrigated arable land has turned into one of the most dangerous environmental threats. This process leads to the degradation of agricultural landscapes not only in Central Asia but also in many other arid zones of the world. In this regard, developing effective technologies to restore salinized lands using the phytomelioration method is recognized as a primary task.

In 1996, Turkmenistan established a specialized working group to formulate the doctrine and strategic directions of activity in this field. Responsibility for developing the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification was entrusted to the then-functioning Desert Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan (now the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan). In 1997, the first baseline version of the program was prepared, under which a colossal volume of practical work was subsequently carried out. Our country is also developing close partnerships with many international bodies. In the field of arid research and the exchange of advanced expertise, contacts are systematically activated, and mutual visits are organized with colleagues from the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.

The National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan carries out systematic activities to counteract land degradation. Scientific staff from the institute's biodiversity laboratory conducted comprehensive field research in the Dashoguz Velayat, where they refined the methodology for cultivating phytomeliorant plants on salinized plots. These crops, specifically licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), belong to the legume family; nodule bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen develop on their root systems. They naturally enrich and nourish the soil. A crucial feature of licorice is its ability to develop effectively in conditions of high mineralization and to help lower the water table of saline groundwater. The research was carried out using high-tech methodologies, with active participation from young scientists of the Turkmen Agricultural Institute and the International Science and Technology Park of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. Leading scientists of the desert institute provide scientific guidance and mentorship, training a new generation of specialists. To date, a number of valuable scientific and practical manuals based on the results of these works have already been published.

In the arid climate of our region, man-made greenbelts and park zones act as a powerful ecological shield. Protecting these green zones and pastures from pests, implementing biological approaches that minimize chemical use, and maintaining the health of plantations represent a tangible, practical contribution to fulfilling commitments under the UN Convention.

In order to protect forest plantations and pastoral flora, the institute conducts deep fundamental research: it identifies the species composition of pests and studies the characteristics of their vegetation under changing climate conditions. Based on these investigations, recommendations have been developed to combat harmful insects (primarily locusts and aphids) using ecologically safe and economically viable methods. The Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan published these methodological manuals and distributed them to state departments and specialized universities for implementation in production. Research and development work in this direction continues.

The institute's laboratory for monitoring desertification and sand stabilization has implemented a complex of protective measures at economic and infrastructure sites. In particular, tasks to protect engineering structures being built and managed in the Karakum Desert from sand accumulation and wind erosion have been fully executed.

In turn, experts from the laboratory of forest and pasture ecology prepared theoretical foundations and scientifically substantiated proposals for cultivating nut and fruit crops in the Central Karakum. Notably, drainage-collector water and groundwater with a high degree of mineralization were used during their cultivation.

One of the main agrotechnical elements of growing fruit trees in the desert is the proper application of organomineral fertilizers. Experiments have proven that these crops possess high adaptive potential and can be recommended for planting on the light sandy soils of the Central Karakum. Thus, the real possibility of developing fruit growing in the desert conditions of Turkmenistan has been scientifically confirmed.

Specialists from the department of scientific and technical information and projects focused their research on the forest massifs created south of Ashgabat, in the foothills of the Central Kopetdag. Here, the impact of forest plantations on soil and climate conditions is analyzed in detail, and methods for sustainable forest management are developed. Monitoring covers both coniferous and deciduous massifs, as well as open plots. Such studies are extremely important for the strategic planning of the country's forestry sector.

Forest zones play an invaluable role in enriching biodiversity, forming a comfortable microclimate for the population, preventing soil erosion, protecting water sources, and improving the meliorative state of farmland. This is precisely why the state pays unremitting attention to this direction.

Comprehensive efforts to ensure environmental well-being and current academic research serve as a clear testament to the high efficiency of the far-sighted environmental policy of the esteemed President of Turkmenistan.