Ashgabat, 29 April 2010 – The International Day of Mother-Earth, which is celebrated annually worldwide on 22 April in accordance with the General Assembly resolution, was marked in Turkmenistan by holding the environmental action “The March of Parks” in the period from 22 to 25 April 2010.

The environmental action started in the city of Turkmenbashi with the support of Hazar Nature Reserve as part of the UNDP/GEF project “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Globally Significant Biological Diversity in Hazar Nature Reserve on the Caspian Sea Coast” implemented jointly with the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. The action continued in the settlements of Belek, Gyzylsuv, Garagel, Chekishlyar located in Balkan province of Turkmenistan in the immediate vicinity of Hazar Nature Reserve.

More than 170 people, including schoolchildren, representatives of local administrations, researchers of Hazar Nature Reserve, as well as experts of the UNDP project participated in the action. During the action, the staff of Hazar Nature Reserve informed the participants about the role the Reserve plays in preserving the unique landscape and biodiversity of Hazar Nature Reserve and contribution people can make to the conservation of these resources.

One of the activities of the action was the contest titled “Let’s Clean the Planet of Garbage”, in which the participants tested their knowledge of hazardous waste materials that have a negative impact on the ecology of the Caspian Sea coast. As a result, much of the Caspian Sea coast was cleared of the harmful waste such as plastic, aluminum and glass bottles and tires that may decay in the soil for decades.

By good tradition, all the participants were presented with informational materials about the flora and fauna of the Hazar Nature Reserve and souvenirs.

The environmental action “The March of Parks” helps to engage people in environmental activities and awaken a feeling of pride for the national natural heritage. Through such actions the UNDP project promotes awareness that natural reserves preserve beautiful landscapes, thousands of rare plants and animals, and that the action participants get directly involved in conservation of natural landscapes, their flora and fauna.

The UNDP/GEF project “Conservation and Sustainable Use of Globally Significant Biological Diversity in Hazar Nature Reserve on the Caspian Sea Coast” started in 2006. It is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. The main goal of the project is to preserve globally significant biological diversity of Turkmenistan through strengthening sustainability of the country’s national protected areas system.