On Wednesday, at the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, a decision was made to include the Turan temperate deserts (cold winter deserts of Turan) on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This was reported by newscentralasia.net with reference to the Embassy of Turkmenistan in France.

This nomination was prepared jointly by Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as a transnational serial natural object.

The World Heritage List includes the protected areas of Turkmenistan - Bereketli Garagum, Gaplangyr, Repetek and Yeraji.

The Turan temperate deserts are a transnational heritage that consists of 14 constituent parts located in the arid temperate regions of Central Asia between the Caspian Sea and the Turan highlands. The area is subject to extreme climatic conditions with very cold winters and hot summers and has an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna that have adapted to the harsh conditions.

The Turanian deserts are important as a habitat for many species of animals and plants that are endangered throughout the world: kulans, saigas, goitered gazelles, urials and many others.

The joint nomination of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan demonstrated a successful example of UNESCO interregional cooperation in Central Asia.

We previously reported that Turkmenistan intends to include 3 reserves on the UNESCO World Heritage List.