Several Turkmen-German forums focused on the aspects of further cooperation to achieve environmental security were held in Ashgabat. The delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany consisting of the heads and leading specialists of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, M. Zukkov Fund, the German Society for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) and German Energy Agency (DENA) and environmental scientists of the Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology of the Greifswald University had arrived in the Turkmen capital to take part in the seminars.

This visit of the German delegation was a continuation of long-term partnership between the nature conservation agencies of two countries. A number of joint projects are implemented in Turkmenistan with the assistance of the German Society for Technical Co-operation by the National Desert, Plant and Animal Life Research Institute of Turkmenistan, the UN Development Programme and Global Ecological Fund to build the capacity for sustainable land resources management at national level. An important aspect of cooperation is exchange of experience and training Turkmen specialists at the leading scientific centers for landscape ecology – the Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology of the Greifswald University. Fruitful partnership with the Michael Zukkov Fund resulted in signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the National Desert, Plant and Animal Life Research Institute in 2008 and fostering the national programme aimed at creating the specially protected natural areas (SPAs) – national parks.

The international conference organized by the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan in collaboration with M. Zukkov Fund focused on management and perspective planning of the national park areas in Turkmenistan.

The overview of the territorial zoning of the National Parks Archabil and Sumbar formed in the massifs of the Kopetdag Mountains in the national reserves were presented at the forum.

The German botanists presented a new project aimed at growing tugai forests in the Amu Darya valley. The forum participants discussed the necessity of improving the legislation to comply with the new realities of Turkmenistan’s environmental, social and economic development and the provisions of the international conventions.

Reforestation as an approach to controlling climate change and mitigating its consequences was the key agenda item of the second start seminar. The German specialists, national and international experts approved the first joint project aimed at reducing the impact of climate change on the environment through sustainable management of forest resources. The methodology of reforestation and use of forest resources in the demonstration and training sites so that local people could implement the similar programmes in other settlements would be tested in two pilot regions with the total area of about 200 hectares.

The third ecological forum focused on climate change brought together the specialists of the German Energy Agency (DENA), heads of the fuel and energy ministries and departments, specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Development, national and international expert in climatology.

The main aim of the forum is to exchange advance experiences in developing the institutional and legislative basis for the participation in the clean development mechanisms (CDM) projects – the financial additionality of the Kyoto Protocol. In accordance with this document the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol were to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which produced the adverse impact on the environment the climate. For Turkmenistan’s huge energy potential the clean development mechanisms (CDM) projects could seek to enhance energy saving and raise energy effectiveness in the fuel and energy sector and national economy as a whole. The participants took the decision to establish National CDM Authority, which would evaluate and select the CDM projects on the basis the possible economic benefits from implementing these projects in Turkmenistan.

Upon concluding the meetings and forums the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan and the Federal Ministry signed the bilateral Turkmen-German document – the Joint Declaration on Intention on the environmental issues. Establishing and developing mutually advantageous relationships and implementation of the joint projects on biological diversity, climate change, protection of the environment and efficient use of natural resources were specified as the priority fields of cooperation. The important aspects of collaboration included training highly qualified specialists in environmental protection, hydrobiology, ecology, environmental standardization, forestry and the research activities under the joint projects.