Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 15 October 2025 — Representatives of the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) took part in the Round Table Meeting of the Scientific and Public Council on Desertification Issues under the Public Environmental Organization “Tebigy Kuvvat.” The event was organized jointly with the Working Group on Support for the Identification of Regional Indicators of Land Degradation, established under the UNDP/GEF project in Turkmenistan “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and High Nature Value Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin for Multiple Benefits.”
The round table brought together around twenty participants, including representatives of the National Institute of Desert, Flora and Fauna under the Ministry of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, Land Resources Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan, the State Committee on Statistics, as well as representatives of non-governmental and international organizations. International experts of UNDP Project from the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mr. German Kust and Mr. Murad Nepesov also took an active part in the discussion.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Mukhammet Durikov, Director of the SIC ICSD, National Coordinator of the UNCCD in Turkmenistan, and Chair of the Working Group on Supporting the Goals and Measures for Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in Turkmenistan.
Participants of the Meeting. Photocredit to UNDP Project.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the key areas of work of the Working Group, including the integration of LDN principles into the updated National Programme of Action to Combat Desertification in Turkmenistan, the identification of regional targets for achieving LDN in the pilot territories of Lebap and Dashoguz provinces under the UNDP project, as well as approaches to assessing local land degradation using modern geoinformation tools. Special attention was given to opportunities for monitoring and analyzing indicators that affect soil and vegetation degradation, including within protected natural areas.
Presentation by Mr. German Kust. Photocredit to UNDP Project.
A representative of the SIC ICSD, Nikolay Nikolayev, delivered a presentation entitled “Assessment of Local Land Degradation in Turkmenistan Using the Trends.Earth Platform,” which showcased the results of geospatial analysis and practical examples of the application of digital tools for assessing land condition and monitoring changes in land use.
Participants highlighted the importance of enhanced coordination among government agencies, the scientific community, and international organizations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 15 — “Life on Land” — and to advance Turkmenistan’s national priorities for achieving land degradation neutrality.
The event marked another step forward in strengthening regional cooperation and knowledge exchange on sustainable land management and combating desertification in Central Asia.
The event supports the achievement of:
| Priority Area No 5 of REP4SD dedicated to SDG 15: “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems” |
| 5.1.1 integration of the ecosystem approach for climate change adaptation at the strategic, programmatic and project levels to improve cross-sectoral collaboration (and sectoral plans) and ecosystem protection, restoration and sustainable management. |