About 80% of Turkmenistan is covered by the Karakum, with sand, clay, gravel and salt deserts containing saxaul, Salsola and Artemisia vegetation. The Kopetdag, Büyük Balkan, Kiçi Balkan and Köýtendag mountains contain canyons, caves, springs, karst formations and juniper woodland. The Amu Darya, Murgab and Tejen support riverine habitats and irrigated oases. The Caspian coast includes shallow bays, dunes and islands, while the Aral and Altyn Asyr areas face severe water and salt stress. Natural processes include aridity, shifting sand, seasonal migration of birds and hoofed animals, changing river and coastal water levels, karst-water recharge, salinisation and desertification. Aýratyn goralýan tebigy ýerler, also called OOPT or specially protected natural areas, include state nature reserves, biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. The nine state reserves are Köpetdag, Bereketli Garagum, Bathyz, Amyderya, Köýtendag, Repetek, Gaplangyr, Hazar and Sünt-Hasardag. Associated sanctuaries include Meana-Chaacha, Guryhowdan, Ogurjaly, Sarykamysh, Shasenem, Kelif, Garlyk, Hojapil, Hojagarawul, Hojaburjabelent, Kyzyljar, Pulhatyn and Chemenabit. The Turkmenistan components of the UNESCO World Heritage property Cold Winter Deserts of Turan include Bereketli Garagum, Gaplangyr, Repetek and Yeradzhi. Repetek is also part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere network. Turkmenbashy Bay, within Hazar, is a Ramsar wetland of international importance covering 267,124 hectares. Protected species are listed in the fourth edition of the Gyzyl kitap, or Red Data Book, published in 2024. Examples include kulan, goitered gazelle, Turkmen wild goat, urial, Asiatic leopard, snow leopard, striped hyena, saiga, Caspian seal, Russian sturgeon, houbara, great bustard, saker falcon, Egyptian vulture, white-headed duck and steppe tortoise. Protected plants include pistachio, juniper, white and black saxaul and endemic or relict species. Hazar can support five to eight million waterbirds during migration and up to about 0.8 million wintering birds, although figures vary by season and survey. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, its Department of Flora and Fauna Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Hydrometeorological Service, the National Institute of Desert, Flora and Fauna and the Academy of Sciences perform different protection, monitoring and research functions. Regional and district administrations, local councils, the fisheries authority and water-resources supervision also affect access and use. Research includes biodiversity work in Altyn Asyr, phytoremediation of saline areas, studies of the Caspian deserts and the Central Karakum, and work in the Kopetdag and agricultural landscapes. Nature law protects soil, water, air, forests, flora, fauna and ecosystems. Protected-area rules can prohibit hydrological interventions, new structures and traffic, collecting, chemical use, livestock passage and off-road driving. Inspectors may check a visitor's permission to stay. Wild plants are state property except on private land, and collecting Red Data Book plants is generally prohibited; scientific, cultivation and reproduction exceptions require approval. Wildlife use requires the relevant licence or permission. Fish resources are state property, and fishing can be limited by permits, quotas, closed seasons, areas, equipment and catch amounts. Red Data Book aquatic species may not be caught except for approved research or control. Projects affecting fish waters require fisheries expertise and a state environmental assessment. Protected-area use and the use of plant and water resources are legally chargeable, but the available research does not verify current public tariffs, standard application deadlines or online application routes. A fisheries agreement sets the area, term, permitted activity, protection conditions, payment amount and payment dates. Nature tourism may include walking, mountain, cycling, horse, camel, water and trekking activities at places such as Köýtendag, the Karlyuk caves, Bathyz, Repetek and the Caspian coast. Visits must follow the relevant protection regime, and permission may be required. Tourism should not damage the site or exceed its carrying capacity. No verified operational national-park system was identified, although national parks are provided for as a legal category. The main pressures are drought, extreme heat, water shortages, overgrazing, vegetation loss, wind and sandstorms, erosion and salinisation. Oil pollution affects the Caspian coast. Roads, railways, canals, border fences and industrial projects can fragment habitats and interrupt migration. Conservation measures include patrols, monitoring, protected-area zoning, buffer zones, saxaul planting, land-degradation prevention and cooperation with local authorities and communities. Nature education takes place through reserve research, the Naturchronik, ecological work, fisheries education and ranger training, but public course and guided-tour calendars are not verified.
Nature in Turkmenistan
Nature in Turkmenistan includes the Karakum Desert, mountain ranges, river oases, the Caspian coast and the Aral and Altyn Asyr areas. Nine state reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, the Red Data Book and monitoring programmes protect important ecosystems and species. Water scarcity, desertification, salinity, habitat fragmentation, pollution and poaching strongly affect nature. Farming, grazing, fishing, research and nature tourism take place under site-specific rules and, in many cases, permits.
Tip
Treat access to nature in Turkmenistan as a permission and impact question rather than an open-access activity. For a visit, research project, fishing trip, plant collection or development project, confirm the site's protection regime, responsible authority, required permission, limits and charges before committing time or money. Give priority to water protection, habitat connectivity and Red Data Book species because mistakes can create legal, ecological and logistical problems.