A round table was held at the UN building in Ashgabat on improving legislation in the field of sustainable management of land and water resources and ecosystems as part of the UNDP-GEF project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and High Nature Value Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin for Multiple Benefits”, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper writes.
The project is focused on the conservation of ecosystems and the rational use of natural resources of the Turkmen Aral Sea region, which includes the territories of Dashoguz and Lebap provinces. This arid area, home to the Kaplankyr and Amudarya state reserves, has been significantly impacted by the shrinking Aral Sea.
Participants, including representatives from the Mejlis, Ministry of Agriculture, Dashoguz Governorate, and the scientific community, exchanged views on improving sustainable land and water use standards. They also discussed environmental protection efforts underway in Turkmenistan’s nine state nature reserves, overseen by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The review of the environmental and water-land legislation of the country was presented by the chief lawyer of the Ministry, Joragul Khalbaeva. Kurban Hommadov, a researcher at the Turkmen State Water Management Scientific, Production and Design Institute “Turkmensuwylymtaslama”, spoke about the types of economic activities in the Aral Sea basin and the needs for water supply.
Director of the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna Pirli Kepbanov focused on the issues of improving forestry related to pastures. Huge areas of such territories are located in the Karakum desert, the degree of their watering plays an important role for the development of domestic animal husbandry.
Experts of the Aral Sea project Rosa Berkelieva and Svetlana Isaeva prepared presentations on water and land use in various sectors of the economy, as well as on the implementation of internationally accepted terminology in national legislation concerning restrictions on economic activity within specially protected natural areas.
Guljamal Nurmukhammedova, representative of the Global Water Partnership, highlighted the topic of maintaining the ecological integrity of water lands within the framework of existing legislative procedures in the country.
The meeting yielded valuable insights, including identifying new avenues for collaboration, harmonizing socioeconomic development with environmental management, maximizing benefits for both people and nature, and assessing human impact on the environment and biodiversity.///nCa, 7 August 2024