VZCZCXRO2351
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0820/01 1811220
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301220Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3070
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5379
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3107
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2972
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3623
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3673

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000820 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR SENV TX
SUBJECT: DIRECTOR OF TURKMENISTAN'S DESERT INSTITUTE 
EXPLAINS TURKMEN LAKE PROJECT 
 
REF: A. ASHGABAT 0788 
     ¶B. ASHGABAT 0608 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The National Institute of Desert Flora 
and Fauna is active in all aspects of desert studies and has 
worked extensively internationally.  The Institute supports 
the creation of the Turkmen Lake and serves as the 
government's focal point for the International Fund for 
Saving the Aral Sea.  According to the Institute's director, 
the spread of desertification in Turkmenistan is a manageable 
problem.  When it comes to ecology, the ideology of the 
"Golden Age of Turkmenistan" also extends to the Desert 
Institute.  END SUMMARY. 
 
INSTITUTE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Director of the National Institute of Desert Flora 
and Fauna Paltamet Esenov, clearly thrilled that the Charge 
was the first ambassadorial-rank official to visit the 
Institute, said in a meeting on June 26 that the Institute 
was unique among similar institutions in the former Soviet 
Union.  Its specialists have worked internationally since the 
mid-1960's, in countries such as Algeria, China, Germany, 
India, Iraq, Mongolia, Peru, and the United States. 
Departments in the Institute study animals and plants of the 
desert, as well as the desert itself, including entomology, 
vertebrates, invertebrates, forests and pastures, plant 
resources, ecology and cell structure of plants, ecological 
monitoring, and endangered lands.  The Institute has a 
library and Internet access.  On a yearly basis, the 
Institute updates Turkmenistan's "Red Book" of endangered 
species.  However, the Ministry of Nature Protection oversees 
Turkmenistan's eight nature reserves. 
 
TURKMEN LAKE 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Esenov did not answer the Charge's question about 
ecological effects of the ongoing Turkmen Lake project (Ref 
A), but explained that the Lake is located in an area with 
low salinity.  The Lake will vastly improve the current 
situation, in which water from Lebap province drains into the 
salty Amu Darya River, and water from Dashoguz province 
drains into Sarykamysh Lake.  (NOTE:  Part of Sarykamysh Lake 
is located in Uzbekistan.  Turkmen Lake will be located only 
in Turkmenistan.  END NOTE.)  Only "extra" water will fill 
the lake, which will take 97 years to fill.  The presence of 
the lake will also benefit animals such as migratory birds. 
Researchers at the Institute are considering building similar 
lakes in each province of Turkmenistan to improve efficiency. 
 
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR SAVING THE ARAL SEA 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In addition to running the Institute, Esenov serves 
as Turkmenistan's focal point for the International Fund for 
Saving the Aral Sea.  The Institute has housed the Fund's 
Information Centers for the Interstate Sustainable 
Development Commission and the Intergovernmental Commission 
for Water Management for 14 years, and in this role, 
publishes bulletins in Russian and English.  Esenov mentioned 
that the Aral Basin program consists of three stages -- from 
1993-1998, 2003-2010, and 2011-2015 -- but did not elaborate. 
 As a result of the Fund's meeting in Almaty in April (Ref 
B), Esenov said the UN Center for Preventive Diplomacy will 
organize an international seminar on protecting Central 
Asia's environment.  Esenov serves as Turkmenistan's focal 
point for other international conventions related to the 
environment as well. 
 
PUBLICATIONS 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Since the Soviet period, the Institute has 
published the journal "Problems of Desert Development." 
 
ASHGABAT 00000820  002 OF 002 
 
 
Previously U.S. publisher Allerton Press published this 
journal in English six times a year, but stopped due to a 
lack of funding.  Esenov proudly showed a number of 
pamphlets, books, and journals that contained his Institute's 
work and his articles, including a book called 
"Desertification Combat and Food Safety:  Added Value of 
Camel Producers," and booklets that summarize the Institute's 
major accomplishments of the year. 
 
OUTSIDE EFFECTS ON TURKMENISTAN'S ECOLOGY 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Esenov said that desertification in Turkmenistan is 
increasing due to oil and gas exploration, but various 
entities are planting trees to help curb this trend.  He said 
the situation is too dynamic to predict future developments 
on this front because Turkmenistan continues to develop more 
gas fields.  In general, he suggested that desertification in 
Turkmenistan is decreasing and the country's situation in 
this regard is better than other countries' such as Iran and 
Mongolia or in Africa.  In answer to a question on the effect 
of Turkmenistan's reforestation program and the increased use 
of irrigation in the desert, Esenov said that recently they 
have seen plants in the desert that they had not seen for ten 
years.  However, he ascribed this trend as much, if not more, 
to the heavy rains of spring 2009 than to government policy 
and practice. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Esenov was engaging and is recognized as 
a world-class scientist.  Perhaps that is why he looked 
somewhat uncomfortable when asked about Turkmen Lake and the 
spread of desertification.  Differences in statements by 
Esenov and those by the Deputy Chairman for Agriculture and 
Water Management (Ref A) suggest that the party line has not 
been sufficiently coordinated.  Although he was undoubtedly a 
great scientist, when it comes to ecology, the ideology of 
the "Golden Age of Turkmenistan" also extends to the Desert 
Institute.  END COMMENT. 
MILES