Visitor Center "Nature of Karakum” officially opened in Turkmenistan

The information and visitor center was created under the project Central Asian Desert Initiative (CADI). The opening ceremony was attended by about 25 representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the Environmental Protection Service, the State Nature Reserve “Bereketli Garagum”, the Secretariat of the National Commission for UNESCO in Turkmenistan, the WWF, the Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan, as well as teachers of local schools and media representatives.

The center is constructed in the form of a Turkmen yurt and equipped with solar panels. The main purpose of the center is to provide environmental education and inform the public about the ecosystem of the cold winter Turan Desert with a focus on the Karakum Desert. For this purpose, a photo exhibition was organized and information materials on flora and fauna were prepared.

In January 2022, the states of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan submitted the transnational World Heritage nomination of the cold winter deserts of Turan to UNESCO. The CADI offered scientific and organizational support for the UNESCO nomination process. The center provides information about the nomination and could become a World Heritage Visitor Centrein case of its recognition.

Article in Online-Journal “Turkmenistan – Golden Age” (2 June 2022)