Central Asia Gains New Anti-Desertification Hub in Ashgabat

Director of Turkmenistan’s National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna Pirli Kepbanov has said that a regional center to combat desertification in Ashgabat will allow Central Asian countries to jointly address cross-border issues affecting agriculture and water management.

Kepbanov noted that the initiative to create the center was proposed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov during the 80th UN General Assembly session in New York, The Caspian Post reports via Turkmen media.

“Through this center, countries in the region will be able to collaborate on cross-border challenges impacting agricultural production and water infrastructure. This will help consolidate regional expertise and strengthen environmental cooperation,” Kepbanov said.

Turkmenistan, he added, has a strong scientific base to host the center in the capital, with specialized research institutes that have decades of experience in desert studies.

“Globally, there are only four scientific institutes of this profile, and one of them is the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of Turkmenistan,” he said, highlighting Turkmenistan’s historic role as a leading center of desert science for Central Asia and neighboring countries.

For decades, top scientists from around the world visited Turkmenistan to discuss key environmental issues. Kepbanov recalled that early Chinese desertologists learned their craft in Turkmenistan, building a foundation that continues to influence research today.

The institute has trained multiple generations of Eurasian specialists, established partnerships with over 40 scientific and governmental organizations from 35 countries, and continues active collaboration with institutions like China’s Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography and Russia’s A.N. Kostyakov Federal Scientific Center of Hydrotechnics and Reclamation.

The new center in Ashgabat is expected to strengthen regional research, foster international collaboration, and provide solutions to pressing environmental and water management challenges in Central Asia.