Protecting Turkmenistan’s Vital Forests: No Data, No Strategy

Turkmenistan’s National Forest Program for 2021-2025 is set to expire this year. According to the recent news the government is currently working on an updated version for the upcoming period. The new program is expected to focus on reforestation of degraded lands, expansion of forest cover, creation of green spaces, and protection of rare plants from Turkmenistan’s Red Book.

The National Forest Program was first implemented in 2013-2020, but neither that document nor subsequent versions have been made publicly available on websites of the ministries.

Despite more than a decade of forest programs, Turkmenistan provides limited public access to information and data on its forestry strategies. Official documentation is not published, and progress reports remain limited. As the country prepares a new National Forest Program, greater transparency is essential to track achievements, evaluate the results, and promote sustainable forest management

Turkmenistan has relatively little forest cover, but its forests are diverse, with some unique to the country’s dry climate. About 20% of the population is said to depend on forests, though it is unclear in what ways. Forests are important for biodiversity and climate regulation by absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere, but Turkmenistan’s forests likely absorb only small amounts. No recent data or detailed analysis of their role in absorbing CO₂ have been carried out in recent years, including under past National Forestry Programs.

Priorities of the new National Forest Program

Although the full text of the updated program has not been released, state news sources outline several priorities of the new program:

• Reforestation in the Karakum Desert;
• Restoration of tugay forests, which are the natural habitat of the noble deer;
• Creation of green spaces along rivers, highways, and foothill regions;
• Protection of rare plants listed in Turkmenistan’s Red Book;
• Introduction of digital technologies (remote Earth sensing, digitalization of the state forest registry, digital forest inventory, early detection systems for fires, pests, and diseases);
• Support of private horticulture (vineyards, orchards, medicinal plants, honey, nut cultivation);
• New economic mechanisms (long-term land leases for projects, attracting investments, job creation).

Responsible institutions

Forest management and protection in Turkmenistan are overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Protection of Turkmenistan through its subordinate bodies: the Department of Forestry and the Service for Forest-Seed Farming and Natural Parks Protection (UNECE).

The Department of Forestry coordinates activities related to forest management, organization of forest nurseries, and forest planning and growing. It is divided into 4 departments: forestry, agriculture, mechanization, and finance, and operates through 7 forest enterprises: Ak Bugday (1.3 million ha), Bakharden (0.4 million ha), Bekreve (0.3 million ha), Balkan (0.4 million ha), Dashoguz (0.4 million ha), Lebap (0.6 million ha), and Mary (0.6 million ha).

The forestry specialists are trained in the Agricultural University of Turkmenistan.

Past progress

Between 1998 and 2024, Turkmenistan reportedly achieved significant progress, greening 227 thousand ha of land and planting over 162 million trees.

According to UNECE, as of 2021:

• Forests cover 8.75% of the area of Turkmenistan, or 4.3 million ha;
• About 90% of all forests in Turkmenistan are located in deserts;
• 80% of the entire area of the country is deserts;
• Mountainous areas cover 5 million ha, with many mountain forests (524 thousand ha);
• All forests are under protection, including 104 thousand ha designated as specially protected areas;
• Challenges to the restoration of the forests include: harsh climate with rising temperatures, limited rainfall, and more extreme weather events, drought risks and water scarcity, biodiversity loss, spread of pests, and poor water management.

Several important documents have guided the forest policy in recent years:

• A program of the President of Turkmenistan for socio-economic development for 2019-2025;
• National Forest Program for 2021-2025;
• Action plan for the National Forest Program (2021);
• National Aral Program of Turkmenistan for 2021-2025.

The latest National Forest Program of Turkmenistan set a goal to plant 3 million trees per year, aiming to cover 30 thousand ha of land with trees by 2025. However, the details of the implementation have not been reported.