Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve (LABR) in Uzbekistan is located in the northern part of the lower reaches of the River Amudarya, southeast of the former coast of the Aral Sea.
The site is one of the largest areas of natural Tugai in Central Asia which, from a global perspective, is a unique and threatened ecosystem.
Designation date: 2021
Networks
Regional network:
Ecosystem-based network:
Description
Map
Surface : 68,717.8 ha
- Core area(s): 11,568 ha
- Buffer zone(s): 6,731 ha
- Transition zone(s): 50,418 ha
Location: 41,7037408°N – 60,2546794°E
Ecological Characteristics
The area provides an important habitat for plant and animal life and contains the highest biodiversity in the desert regions of Central Asia.
The natural vegetation is composed of Tugai, a form of riparian forest or woodland, endemic to Central Asia.
It is also the natural and protected environment of the threatened Bukhara Deer (Cervus hanglu bactrianus) included in the Red List of IUCN.
Socio-Economic Characteristics
Local communities are mainly farmers engaged in both small scale crop (predominantly cotton, rice, wheat fruit or vegetable) production and livestock breeding (intensive and extensive), but essentially on a subsistence basis.
In addition, the wild collectionof mushroom, medicinal plants and fishing in Amudarya river play an important role in securing livelihoods of local communities.
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Last updated: January 2021