Delegations from the three parties to the Ustyurt Memorandum — Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan — signed a roadmap to strengthen environmental protection on the Ustyurt Plateau. The Michael Succow Foundation (a charitable foundation for nature conservation) and the Secretariat of the Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Animals provided assistance in developing the document.

The roadmap is designed to unite the efforts of the countries of the region and international partners in protecting biodiversity. The preservation of the ecosystem is also threatened by planned energy and infrastructure projects, ecologist Rustam Murzakhanov , a representative of the Zukkov Foundation, told Gazeta.uz .

The roadmap has been developed for 2025-2030 and includes seven key areas of work:

1. Transboundary conservation of wild animals and their habitats.
2. Improving monitoring of transboundary populations of rare species.
3. Raising awareness of the importance of the Ustyurt Plateau for biodiversity conservation.
4. Fight against poaching.
5. Developing ecotourism and reducing the impact of economic development on biodiversity.
6. Joint efforts to reintroduce the cheetah.
7. Strengthening international environmental partnerships.

Representatives of environmental protection agencies of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are involved in the implementation of the Roadmap.

Environmental problems of the Ustyurt plateau and ways to solve them

The problem of species migration. The Ustyurt Plateau is located in the western part of Central Asia on the territory of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The region is subject to extreme climatic conditions: with hot, dry summers and very cold, windy winters. Despite the severity, the area is a unique ecosystem where relatively untouched nature has been preserved. More than 700 species of plants grow here, about 230 species of birds and 60 species of mammals live. Among them are goitered gazelles, saigas, kulans and a unique population of Ustyurt urial.

Seasonal routes of rare animal species intersect on Ustyurt. In desert ecosystems, animals migrate long distances, since vegetation is extremely sparse and there are almost no water sources. Migration is the basis for survival, reproduction and maintaining the number of species. This is especially true for goitered gazelles and kulans, which travel hundreds of kilometers every year, cross state borders and are in dire need of transboundary protection.

According to Rustam Murzakhanov, the problem with the free movement of species began in 2012, when Kazakhstan, as part of its obligations as a member of the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union, began to strengthen the border. Despite the extremely low population density, fences were installed here, consisting of several rows of barbed wire. They prevent illegal border crossings by cars and motorcycles (there are no pedestrians on Ustyurt), but this also limits the migration of animals.

“Fences appeared even on chinks – cliffs up to 150 meters high,” the ecologist noted. “Turkmenistan also strengthened its border. As a result, two rows of fences appeared on the Kazakh-Turkmen border. Later, Kazakhstan opened passages in some areas in the north of Ustyurt, but this worsened the problem of species survival: now poachers knew exactly where the animals would cross the border.”

According to Rustam Murzakhanov, with the help of camera traps, ecologists have identified new sections of the border where it would be desirable to remove the lower rows of wire.

“Ideally, we need to remove the lower rows of wire along the entire border,” says Rustam Murzakhanov. “We plan to expand research on migration routes and the impact of barrier structures on the movement of fauna. To this end, camera traps will continue to be installed at key points – they will help track animal behavior and develop precise recommendations for organizing safe border crossings.”

An assessment of the availability of water resources on the Ustyurt plateau is also envisaged. In the conditions of the arid climate of the region, access to water becomes a critical factor for the survival of wild animals. It is proposed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the available water sources, and, if necessary, to create additional artificial watering places. This will increase the ecosystem’s resilience to dry conditions and reduce the stress load on the animal world.

To combat poaching, measures are being stepped up against illegal trade in wild animals. Environmentalists are already conducting research and identifying the main causes, scale and hot spots of illegal removal of animals. Based on this work, it is planned to review national legislative norms. They must be brought into line with international obligations in the field of nature conservation, Rustam Murzakhanov said.

One of the important steps will be to adjust the legal framework: countries in the region must prohibit the use of inhumane methods of capturing animals, such as high-bow traps and snares. To improve the effectiveness of the fight against poaching, the exchange of experience between reserve inspectors at the national, regional and international levels will continue.

It is planned to train environmental protection officers and inspectors to apply the new standards at training sessions. According to Rustam Murzakhanov, special attention will be paid to improving the qualifications of specialists: at least one event to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies is planned to be held in each country of the Ustyurt region. In parallel, work will begin on the introduction of modern monitoring technologies, including the use of SMART systems and drones to patrol protected natural areas.

Poor coordination between specially protected natural areas (SPNA) . Today, there are five national-level SPNAs operating on the Ustyurt plateau:

• Ustyurt Nature Reserve (Kazakhstan);
• Gaplangyr Nature Reserve (Turkmenistan);
• National Park “South Ustyurt” (Uzbekistan);
• Saigachiy Integrated Nature Reserve (Uzbekistan);
• Reserve “Barsakelmes” (Uzbekistan).

A major problem for the international environmental community is the low level of interaction between these protected areas. Several years ago, within the framework of a project of the German Society for International Cooperation, coordination between protected areas was established, said Rustam Murzakhanov. According to him, the work consisted, first of all, in building horizontal connections so that the employees of the reserves, especially neighboring ones, at least knew each other. Otherwise, if each country protects its territory in its own way, the migration routes of animals will be interrupted, “dead zones” will appear – without protection and without monitoring, and the risk of poaching and degradation of territories will increase.

Maksad Khabibullaev / UzA.

According to Rustam Murzakhanov, monitoring of migratory species is carried out in each country using different methods.

“Currently, animals can be counted several times, which distorts the data on their numbers. Synchronized protection presupposes agreed rules, joint monitoring, information exchange, coordination between reserve inspectors and the creation of ecological corridors – special “bridges” between protected areas. Coordinated work is needed so that all countries have the same quality data,” said Rustam Murzakhanov.

This experience can form the basis for the creation of transboundary protected areas — reserves outside the borders, located on the territory of three countries. The creation of such protected areas is a complex process with an extremely small number of successful examples in the world. According to Rustam Murzakhanov, international organizations are ready to support such projects technically (for example, to synchronize monitoring tools), but this in any case takes a lot of time.

“The idea is that nature is protected synchronously, not in a fragmented manner. The larger the territory of the ecosystem, the more stable it is, the higher the value of ecosystem services – clean air, water, everything that we get from nature,” said Rustam Murzakhanov. “In addition, less dust and salt are carried away from undamaged deserts.”

The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev keeps hope for the creation of such a protected area alive. During his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State-Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, held in Turkmenistan in August 2018, the head of state proposed creating transboundary protected areas in the Aral Sea region.

Infrastructure projects . The Ustyurt plateau has a large number of gas and oil fields where development is underway – “a toxic production in itself.” In addition, countries are currently assessing the environmental impact of renewable energy projects.

“We are talking about giant wind farms with thousands of turbines,” said Rustam Murzakhanov. “They are planned to be built on an untouched part of the desert, practically on the border with the South Ustyurt National Park.” There is practically no poaching there now, because there is no infrastructure – roads. In certain seasons, it is impossible to move there. Roads will be built to build wind farms. This will open access for poachers. The territories there are so vast that inspectors will not be able to cope.”

“If the plans for large-scale installation of wind turbines on Ustyurt are implemented, many provisions of the approved Roadmap will be at risk. Construction of infrastructure on untouched lands can destroy the extremely fragile ecosystem of the plateau and facilitate access of poachers to hard-to-reach areas,” says Nurlan Ongarbayev, executive director of the Center for the Study and Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan.

At the same time, environmentalists realize that the construction of wind farms cannot be stopped, said Rustam Murzakhanov . There is only hope that through joint efforts it will be possible to minimize the damage. The solution may be to install wind turbines along existing roads – not in the untouched territory of Ustyurt. Wind farm construction projects are currently being prepared in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Power lines also threaten the fauna of Ustyurt. Birds of prey die on them, and some species, in particular bustards, do not see the power line wires at all. In the first case, the problem can be solved by insulating the wires at the point of attachment to the power line supports. For bustards, there is no obvious solution yet.

It is important that each new infrastructure project begins with an environmental impact assessment. Based on the results of these studies, specific measures must be developed to reduce their impact on the environment.

According to Rustam Murzakhanov, the negative impact of infrastructure projects can be reduced by raising awareness among the population and decision makers about the importance and uniqueness of the Ustyurt plateau ecosystem .

“Countries may lose a unique landscape, recognized as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, due to ruthless development of the territory. We need to see the Ustyurt Plateau as a natural monument, and not just a huge piece of our territory, where there is a lot of oil and wind. This is a space that performs vital ecosystem functions: from natural air filtration and protection from dust storms to maintaining the balance of soil and climate. Preserving natural landscapes helps to restrain erosion, maintain water reserves and mitigate the effects of climate change,” the ecologist said.

An important task is to involve local populations and volunteers in the processes of monitoring and protecting nature. This practice is already actively developing, especially in border areas. But the next step is to expand the information campaign at the national and international levels in order to increase the value of this territory both in the eyes of the general public and among those who make strategic decisions.

At the same time, the ecosystem can bring economic benefits if ecotourism is developed here . There are enough natural and cultural monuments for this: cliffs, salt marshes, a yurt camp on the shore of the Aral Sea from the Uzbekistan side, historical monuments.

Lake Sarykamysh. Photo: Madina Azam / Gazeta.uz.

There is one condition for tourism development, environmentalists warn. It must be gentle tourism, expensive and hard to access: no mass or jeep tours.

“The desert on Ustyurt is so fragile that a single car track does not heal for decades , because the conditions here are very extreme: too little precipitation, too cold winters, too hot summers,” the ecologist explained.

In order to preserve the elite status of tourism on the Ustyurt plateau, international experience can be used, says Rustam Murzakhanov. This could be a quota for tourist sites, as is done on Everest, or a paid entry to the territory, as in Venice. Any scheme should be adopted on the basis of research.

Local population should be involved in tourism development. Guides and services will become an alternative to poaching for residents and an incentive to stay home rather than migrate, Rustam Murzakhanov believes.

Environmentalists should assess the feasibility of developing wildlife tourism and identify promising sites. Importantly, part of the income from tourism should be used to preserve species and their habitats.

The changes also affected the legislation. They will secure exclusive rights to ecotourism for hunting farms and protected natural areas without the removal of wild animals. The creation of private natural territories is being discussed – another step towards making nature conservation a matter not only for the state, but also for local people.

Management of hunting grounds can be transferred to non-profit organizations and local communities, which will allow them not only to earn income, but also to directly participate in nature conservation, Rustam Murzakhanov said. Every decision on the possible use of natural resources should be made only on the basis of scientific data with a mandatory assessment of the impact on the ecosystem and compliance with international obligations, such as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).