A meeting was held at the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan to discuss the nomination of the Koytendag (Turkmenistan) and Surkhan (Uzbekistan) nature reserves for inclusion in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

The event was held in a hybrid format with the participation of representatives of international and national organisations, including the Michael Succow Foundation (Germany), Conservation X Labs (USA), the Slovak Speleological Society, environmental agencies of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as experts from the CXLs project.

Participants discussed a draft Declaration of Cooperation, a Roadmap, UNESCO criteria and the text of the Tentative List entitled ‘Karst, Caves and Canyons of Kugitang’. Further steps to promote the nomination were also agreed upon.

Turkmen specialists will continue to work with international and Uzbek partners, taking into account the updated requirements of the World Heritage Committee.