Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, October 15, 2025 — Representatives of the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) participated in the Roundtable of the Scientific and Public Council on Desertification (SPCD) under POO “Tebigy Kuvvat.” The event was organized in collaboration with the Working Group on Regional Land Degradation Indicators as part of the UNDP/GEF project in Turkmenistan “Conservation and Sustainable Management of High-Value Land and Ecosystem Resources in the Aral Sea Basin.”
The roundtable brought together around twenty participants, including representatives from the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna, Land Resources Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, State Committee on Statistics, as well as NGOs and international organizations. Active contributions were made by international UNDP experts, Mr. Kust German (Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences) and Mr. MuradNepesov.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Muhammet Durikov, Director of ReCATH NIC, UNCCD National Coordinator in Turkmenistan, and Chair of the SPCD and the Working Group on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). Key topics discussed included:
Integrating LDN principles into the updated National Action Program to Combat Desertification;
Setting regional LDN targets for pilot areas in Lebap and Dashoguz velayats;
Approaches to assessing local land degradation using modern geoinformation tools.
Special attention was given to monitoring and analyzing factors affecting soil and vegetation degradation, including protected areas. ReCATH NIC representative, Mr. Nikolay Nikolaev, delivered a presentation titled “Assessment of Local Land Degradation in Turkmenistan Using the Trends.Earth Platform,” showcasing geospatial analysis results and practical applications of digital tools for land condition assessment.
Participants emphasized the importance of coordination among government agencies, scientific institutions, and international partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 15 — Life on Land, as well as Turkmenistan’s national priorities for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.
The event marked another step in strengthening regional cooperation and knowledge exchange in sustainable land management and desertification mitigation in Central Asia.
📌 Source: Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD)
