NEWS

New Flora of Turkmenistan

Scientific methods for studying flora and vegetation began to be applied in the first half of the 19th century. By the end of the century before last, hundreds of famous scientists and naturalists from Russia and Europe visited Turkmenistan in order to search and study of outlandish desert plants and mountain xerophytes. It was during this period that hundreds of thousands of herbarium samples were collected, which served as type material for describing new plant species in the future. Seed and planting material was obtained and was successfully acclimatised, it still adorns the most famous botanical gardens in the world. A lot of research in the field of botany was carried out in the last century, when a number of research institutions were established, and in the current one - in the modern period of independence. Among the achievements is the scientifically confirmed growth within the country of 3,100 species of higher plants (these are ferns, horsetails, gymnosperms or conifers, and flowering plants). Studying the statistics of new species finds over time, it may seem that work in this area is less active than in the past: there is less and less unknown and unexplored. Nevertheless, over the past five years, three species of higher plants have been discovered in Turkmenistan, which I would like to talk about. The history of the discovery of the Calligonum inerme (unarmed ka

Gardens are the beauty of nature

The Turkmen people cherish the noble principles, and great work is underway in our glorious epoch. The noble principles include planting trees and contributing to the beauty of nature. The harmony of the large-scale work conducted in the country under the wise leadership of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov indicates the effectiveness of the measures in the revival of the new epoch of the powerful state. Protecting and beautifying the nature are among these measures in our country. That is why the tree-planting campaigns are held on a regular basis, and our people take an active part in this noble work. The tree-planting campaign was organized on November 4, and our compatriots engaged in it with great enthusiasm.

A WONDERFUL PLANT OF TURKMEN DESERT

In the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state, great attention is paid to protecting and preserving natural resources and nature of the Motherland for future generations. The Karakum Desert that covers a significant part of the total area of our country is a treasure of our country. The Karakum Desert has a very rich flora and fauna. This Turkmen desert is distinguished by its natural wonders and incredible beauty. Thousands of plant species are found in Turkmenistan, and more than 700 of them grow in the desert. In this regard, we should highlight the publication of Volume XV of the Arkadag’s scientific encyclopaedia “Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan” that describes the national traditions of healing and the medicinal value of the rich flora of the Turkmen land. You clearly see the inextricable connection between human health and nature in the scientific works by our scientist Arkadag. One of the plants widely used in folk medicine is saxaul.

A WONDERFUL PLANT OF TURKMEN DESERT

In the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state, great attention is paid to protecting and preserving natural resources and nature of the Motherland for future generations. The Karakum Desert that covers a significant part of the total area of our country is a treasure of our country. The Karakum Desert has a very rich flora and fauna. This Turkmen desert is distinguished by its natural wonders and incredible beauty. Thousands of plant species are found in Turkmenistan, and more than 700 of them grow in the desert. In this regard, we should highlight the publication of Volume XV of the Arkadag’s scientific encyclopaedia «Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan» that describes the national traditions of healing and the medicinal value of the rich flora of the Turkmenland. You clearly see the in extricable connection between human health and nature in the scientific works by our scientist Arkadag. One of the plants widely used in folk medicine is saxaul. Saxaul is the main plant of the Karakum Desert. There are two types of saxaul, which is a solid wood, white and black. They are very similar but can be distinguished at a distance. The branches of white saxaul are lighter and smaller, while those of black saxaul are thinner and larger. Saxaul forests, particularly white saxaul, are common in the sandy areas of the desert. The height of this plant is from 23 to 5 met

New Flora of Turkmenistan

Scientific methods for studying flora and vegetation began to be applied in the first half of the 19th century. By the end of the century before last, hundreds of famous scientists and naturalists from Russia and Europe visited Turkmenistan in order to search and study of outlandish desert plants and mountain xerophytes. It was during this period that hundreds of thousands of herbarium samples were collected, which served as type material for describing new plant species in the future. Seed and planting material was obtained and was successfully acclimatised, it still adorns the most famous botanical gardens in the world. A lot of research in the field of botany was carried out in the last century, when a number of research institutions were established, and in the current one - in the modern period of independence. Among the achievements is the scientifically confirmed growth within the country of 3,100 species of higher plants (these are ferns, horsetails, gymnosperms or conifers, and flowering plants). Studying the statistics of new species finds over time, it may seem that work in this area is less active than in the past: there is less and less unknown and unexplored. Nevertheless, over the past five years, three species of higher plants have been discovered in Turkmenistan, which I would like to talk about. The history of the discovery of the Calligonum inerme (unarmed k

Blind Loach

There is probably no one who did not participate in a game blind man’s buff as a child, in which one is blindfolded and must catch one of the children around him. Everyone has experienced the feeling of insecurity when bumping into the objects. We are used to seeing everything that surrounds us. In this regard, nature has given sight to almost all living beings. The loss of sight makes life incomplete. But there are always exceptions to the general rule. A bat can navigate with confidence in pitch darkness. No matter how fast it flies, it always dodges and bypasses obstacles. This ability of the bat remained a mystery for a long time. When science revealed the principles of work the bat’s organ of vision, an important step was taken to develop technology: a radar that sees flying objects thousands of kilometres away was invented.

A Feathered Guest in Daray-Dere

Biologists of the research department of the Koytendag State Nature Reserve of the Ministry of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan are considering visiting the picturesque Daray-dere gorge with a new bird species that has not been recorded in those places before. A surprising meeting took place during one of the recent trips to monitor the seasonal state of the flora and to record the fauna species, which, as a rule, are joined by colleagues from other state reserves and biologists from the Nature Conservation Society of Turkmenistan. An ecologist of the Balkan velayat branch of the Society Hojamyrat Hojamyradov saw the unfamiliar bird while he was on the trip with a group of ecologists. To understand what kind of bird it was he had to take a picture of the fidgety creature that rapidly changed its “position” catching nimble flying food and hiding in dense foliage. Hojamyrat aga and I lingered, trying to take a tolerable picture of the quirky bird, and then for a long time we were paging the ornithological guide to all bird species that inhabit the territory of Turkmenistan.

In the World of Science

The Ylym Publishing House has released a scientific and practical manual Digital System for the Saline Soil Development in Turkmenistan compiled by the team of the scientists from the biodiversity laboratory of the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna of the Ministry of Environment Protection – Candidate of Agriculture Bayrammurad Durdiyev, Candidate of Technology Kakabay Annaniyazov and Candidate of Biology Olga Arzyamova. The manual is intended for agricultural specialists, lecturers of agricultural higher educational establishments and entrepreneurs and is based on the findings of a study conducted in accordance with the Programme of the Socioeconomic Development of Turkmenistan for 2019–2025, the National Programme on the Aral Sea Basin for 2021–2025 and the Conception of Digital Economy Development for 2019–2025. Scientists offer an efficient method of aerospace sensing of Earth and the use geographic information systems – GIS technologies, a method of digital mapping of soil salinity, along with a salinity chemism classification. Phytomelioration remains one of the effective ecological methods; a hyperspectral data analysis is used to ensure success of this method. * * *

ROSE

What do you know about rose flowers? Where do you see them? Do you see them being given as a gift? Do you cultivate them? Roses have many benefits that people should know about.

The Legal Framework to Environment Protection

One of the main directions of the state policy of Turkmenistan is environment protection and the ensuring of environmental safety. In this regard, concrete steps are being taken both at the national and regional levels. Turkmenistan is actively building up productive cooperation with all interested partners to address such important issues as improving the environment of the Aral Sea region, preserving the Caspian Sea and adapting to climate change. When implementing projects in this area, our country seeks to use the existing solid experience and creative potential for the common good. As part of the practical steps taken to implement the environmental strategy, special attention is paid to the creation of a modern legal framework in this area. Under the leadership of the esteemed President, in the context of large-scale legal reforms, a scientific and systematic approach to the legislative framework for environment protection has been ensured.