Repetek Reserve

The Repetek Biosphere Reserve is a 34,600 hectare biosphere reserve in Turkmenistan, which is located in the southeast of the Karakum Desert. It was initially founded as a research station in 1912 and then achieved the status of a nature reserve in 1927. It is 185–200 m above sea level. The name probably comes from the Arabic Rubshatakh and translates as "narrow space with fresh water". Its landscape is dry and characterized by moving sand dunes. The area is one of the hottest in Asia.

In the reserve there are 21 trees, 104 grasses, one moss, 68 soil algae and 197 mushrooms of different species. It is particularly characterized by the fact that 4.5% of the area is covered by the black Saxaul. This is one of the reasons why it has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1978.

In the middle of the 19th century, Russia built the Krasnovodsk-Chardjou railway into the Trans-Caspian region. However, the engineers were faced with the problem of drifting sand. So they asked the Russian Geographical Society for assistance. This complied with the request and began in 1910 with the establishment of a commission to research drifting sand. This gave the recommendation to build a research station near the Repetek train station, which also happened in the spring of 1912. From 1912 to 1918, meteorological investigations were carried out in the Karakum from there and methods for protecting railway lines from drifting sand were developed. In the second half of the 1920s, expeditions were made to the eastern Karakum to make botanical observations. On October 27th, the area received the status of a nature reserve.

After being designated a nature reserve for the purpose of researching and preserving the flora and fauna of the area, studies were initially carried out in the 1930s on the growth of agricultural plants in arid regions. In the 1950s, research was mainly carried out on the planting and growth of trees, especially at train stations and lines. It thus became the first desert reserve in the Soviet Union. At that time, about 34% of all species living there were endemic. From 1965 to 1974 the reserve took part in the International Biological Program and received the status of a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1978. In 1972 a nature museum was opened, which gave visitors the opportunity to see numerous animals and insects in the region. As a result, the reserve was very popular at this time and was visited by 5,000 visitors and scientists (200 from abroad) annually. In addition, research into agriculture was resumed in the 1970s and studies were carried out on over 1500 plants.