Camera trap image of a Goitered Gazelle using an opening to cross a border fence. © ACBK/CXL
A regional workshop on the conservation of migratory species in the context of cooperation across national borders was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on November 21–22, 2023. It brought together representatives of national nature protection and border security agencies as well as scientists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (the five Central Asian States). The Meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan in the premises of the United Nations Country Team in Turkmenistan and co-organized by the German Development Agency (GIZ), the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Centre in Ashgabat, and the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) with technical support from the NGO Conservation Xlabs.
Most of the region’s protected areas are located along national borders, making the involvement of border security agencies crucial for planning and implementing conservation measures in these areas. All five Central Asian States share populations of CMS-listed species and therefore require international cooperation for the development and implementation of effective conservation measures for these species. During the workshop, scientists and representatives of nature protection agencies showed examples of conservation measures already undertaken in border regions, including cooperation between border guards and nature protection staff, and identified areas where such cooperation needed to be strengthened.
Representatives of border security agencies underscored that ensuring the safety of their nations’ borders is their main priority, while they are open to discussing nature-friendly solutions if this does not compromise their main activities. Specific suggestions to improve the connectivity of migratory species habitat were made by meeting participants for further consideration by decision-makers. The Meeting produced the Ashgabat Communiqué on Transboundary Cooperation with concrete recommendations for follow-up activities. These include:
- closer involvement of border security agencies in nature conservation planning,
- capacity building for border guard officers regarding nature conservation,
- inclusion of more transboundary conservation activities in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs),
- joint efforts to consider mitigating barriers to migration and to implement the recommendations of the study “Transboundary Conservation Hotspots for the Central Asian Mammals Initiative”; and
- requesting multilateral environmental agreements to facilitate transboundary research and conservation activities for migratory species, when such opportunities arise. ///Central Asian Mammals Initiative, updated 24 April 2024