The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Turkmenistan, together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD), organized a roundtable dedicated to World Wetlands Day under the theme “Scaling Climate-Resilient Practices through Digitalization of Land and Water Monitoring” on February 9 in Ashgabat, UNDP Turkmenistan reported.
The event was held under the UNDP-implemented project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and High Nature Value Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin for Multiple Benefits” and brought together representatives of government institutions, national focal points of international environmental conventions, scientific and research organizations, protected area administrations, non-governmental organizations, and development partners.
The roundtable focused on strengthening efforts to restore ecosystems in the Amu Darya River basin, enhance the ecological integrity of wetlands, and advance Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) through improved water resource management, digital technologies, and science-based monitoring systems.
“Turkmenistan is advancing its commitment to the Ramsar Convention by scaling up the monitoring of IBAs through scientific data collection. By strengthening our nature reserves and creating specialized herbarium collections, we ensure that our wetland expansion aligns with international standards for biodiversity and land degradation neutrality,” noted Mr. Rustem Nuryyev, National Coordinator for the Ramsar Convention, Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
Participants emphasized the importance of aligning national actions with international agreements on addressing desertification and wetland protection, and discussed ways to monitor and preserve wetlands, strengthen reporting, and improve legal and institutional support for conservation. They highlighted that healthy wetlands are vital for biodiversity, climate resilience, food security, and local livelihoods, and stressed that cooperation across sectors and the use of innovative approaches are key to achieving long-term environmental sustainability.
