A report of RSPB-supported scientific research at Koytendag State Nature Reserve, East Turkmenistan

Abstract

Situated in the extreme south-east of Turkmenistan, on the international border with Uzbekistan and close to the border with Afghanistan, Koytendag presents one of the most distinctive landscapes in Central Asia – see figures 4 and 5. The state nature reserve and wildlife sanctuaries that form the site extend from the hot, dry semi-desert plains of the Amudarya valley to the snow-capped peaks of Airy-baba. Rising to 3,137 m, this is the highest mountain in Turkmenistan. The Koytendag ridge (former Kugitang or Kugitangtaw) is a continuation of the Gissar ridge, itself the south-western end of the Pamir-Alay mountain range – a mountain chain that extends for over 800 kms from the Pamirs to the Tien-Shan with more than thirty-five peaks over 5,000 m.