Two new protected areas are to be established in the Kyzylkum desert in Uzbekistan.

Under a presidential decree, the Central Kyzylkum National Park will be based in Uchkuduk district, Navoi region, on an area of 1.2 million hectares, and the Aktau-Tamdy State Nature Reserve in Tamdy district on an area of 40,000 hectares.

Both areas will be established under the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection to preserve the unique ecosystems of the Kyzylkum desert. The Government of Uzbekistan, being aware of the global responsibility for the conservation of temperate deserts, has been consistently creating new PAs in recent years.

The CADI project congratulates the State Committee on Ecology for this important achievement and supports further efforts to preserve cold winter deserts.