Protected areas of Turkmenistan explained

Protected areas of Turkmenistan include nine nature reserves (zapovednik)^[1] and 13 sanctuaries (zakaznik) with a total area of 19,750 km² or more than 4% of Turkmenistan's territory.

Nature reserves

Repetek Nature Reserve, in Lebap Province, East Karakum Desert, near Amu Darya. Created in 1927 for study and preservation of a sand-desert ecosystem. Area 346 km².
Hazar Nature Reserve, on the south-east coast of the Caspian Sea, in Balkan Province. Area 2,690 km².
Bathyz Nature Reserve, in Mary Province, between Kushka and Tejen rivers. Created in 1941 for the protection of the Badkhyz Plateau ecosystem. Area 877 km².
Köpetdag Nature Reserve, in the central part of the Kopetdag Range (Ahal Province). Created in 1976 for the protection of indigenous flora and fauna. Area 497 km².
Sünt-Hasardag Nature Reserve, in South-West Kopetdag (Balkan Province). Created in 1977 for the restoration and study of indigenous flora and fauna. Area 303 km².
Gaplaňgyr Nature Reserve, at the border with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the north-west (Daşoguz Province). Created in 1979 for the protection and restoration of indigenous flora and fauna of the Kaplkankyr Plateau and surrounding areas of Northern Turkmenistan. Area 2,822 km².
Amyderýa Nature Reserve, in the north-east of Lebap Province on the Amu Darya. Created in 1982 with an area of 495 km².
Köýtendag Nature Reserve (formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve), at the extreme east of the country, in the Köýtendag Range (Lebap Province). Created in 1986 with an area of 271.4 km².
Bereketli Garagum Nature Reserve, created in 2013.

Total area of sanctuaries is 11,560 km² (2.6% of Turkmenistan's territory).