On 16 July, a significant meeting with international and national experts was held at the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan. The event was held in a hybrid format, bringing together representatives of the Michael Succow Foundation (Germany), Conservation X Labs (USA), the Slovak Speleological Society, as well as relevant agencies and nature reserves of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. This was reported by IIC.

The main topic of discussion was the preparation of a transboundary nomination of the Koytendag (Turkmenistan) and Surkhan (Uzbekistan) nature reserves as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site. This initiative has been a priority for Turkmenistan since 2015. Initially, the application concerned only Koytendag, but experts recommended joining forces with Uzbekistan to preserve the integrity of the mountain ecosystem.

During the meeting, the participants agreed on a Declaration of Intent, a Roadmap and the criteria of the World Heritage Convention. The text of the Tentative List was also approved under a new name - ‘Karst, Caves and Canyons of the Kugitang Range’.

Despite being divided by a state border, the Kugitang Range is a unique ecosystem with karst formations, hundreds of caves and deep canyons. Evidence of all major geological eras has been preserved here, including globally significant dinosaur footprints.

Further work on the nomination will continue with the involvement of international and national experts, which will allow this unique natural heritage to be presented to the world.