During 2025, Termez State University (TerSU) contributed to the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems in Surkhandarya through field-based wildlife research, documentation of narrow-range plant diversity and scientific investigations into desert-land degradation. The activities focused on biodiversity outside the university campus, including the Surkhan State Nature Reserve, the southern Pamir–Alay mountains and the Kattaqum desert.
2025 research and conservation
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Ecosystem / biodiversity work |
Documented research result |
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Protected-area wildlife monitoring |
137 bird species documented in Surkhan State Nature Reserve; rare birds and habitat pressures examined |
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Narrow-range native plant documentation |
Iris anvarbekii described through joint research including a TerSU investigator; one known population near Shurab |
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Dryland ecosystem management |
Kattaqum field monitoring and spatial assessment in Termez and Jarkurgan districts |
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Conservation-oriented plant biology |
Ferula tadshikorum seed biology and propagation-related ecological conditions examined in a 2025 publication |
Protecting wildlife diversity through reserve-based monitoring
2024–2025 FIELD RESEARCH, PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2025 | SURKHAN STATE NATURE RESERVE
TerSU Associate Professor B. A. Raxmatullyev and postgraduate researcher U. S. Raxmatov conducted ornithological research in the Surkhan State Nature Reserve. Their study, published in the December 2025 issue of the Bulletin of the Khorezm Mamun Academy, documented the reserve’s bird diversity across mountain, steppe, forest and riparian habitats.
The research reported 137 bird species and examined species composition, habitat conditions, ecological adaptations and conservation pressures. Species identified in the study included the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), which the authors discuss in the context of protected bird fauna. The study called for continuing monitoring during migration and wintering seasons and for habitat-specific assessments to inform the protection of vulnerable populations.
Documenting a restricted-range native plant: Iris anvarbekii
12 JULY 2025 RESEARCH PUBLICATION | SHURAB, SURKHANDARYA
In 2025, an international botanical research team, including TerSU researcher Akram Ibragimov, published the scientific description of Iris anvarbekii, a newly recognised iris species from the southern Pamir–Alay. The investigation was carried out in the gypsum mountains near Shurab village, Surkhandarya, and involved morphological study, comparative taxonomy and DNA-based phylogenetic analysis.
Only one natural population was reported. The Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences estimated approximately 1,000 plants in the known population. The research established an identifiable species record and a distribution baseline for a geographically restricted plant, strengthening the scientific basis for habitat-sensitive conservation planning. Genetic sequence records from the investigation were deposited in the NCBI database (matK: PV254812; trnL–trnF: PV656072).
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Scientific observation |
2025 conservation relevance |
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One known wild population |
Identifies a geographically restricted plant population requiring careful monitoring |
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Approximately 1,000 individual plants |
Population scale reported by Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences |
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Molecular evidence (2 sequence accessions) |
Provides a documented basis for species identification and future biodiversity assessment |
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TerSU scientific involvement |
Akram Ibragimov — investigation and data curation in a multi-institutional research publication |
Source Nordic Journal of Botany — Iris anvarbekii (2025), DOI: 10.1002/njb.04860
Source Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences — New iris species discovered, 24 July 2025
Research supporting the conservation of native medicinal plants
11 MAY 2025 | FERULA TADSHIKORUM SEED BIOLOGY
TerSU natural-sciences student Dildora Mamatmo‘minova published a study of Ferula tadshikorum Pimenov, focusing on seed germination, ecological requirements and natural dispersal. The research addresses biological knowledge needed for conservation-oriented propagation and the maintenance of native plant diversity in regional landscapes.
Source Synapses: Insights Across the Disciplines — Ferula tadshikorum Seed Biology (11 May 2025)
Direct scientific work on threatened desert ecosystems
26 JULY 2025 | KATTAQUM DESERT, TERMEZ AND JARKURGAN DISTRICTS
Under Surkhandarya Regional Administration assignment No. 04-04/1636 dated 11 July 2025, specialists from TerSU’s Centre for Regional Studies collaborated with researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to examine land degradation and desertification risks in Kattaqum.
The joint work covered field investigation, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, geographical mapping and analysis of mobile sand dunes and hot desert winds. The project also developed scientific approaches for stabilising mobile sands, planning vegetated shelterbelts and selecting plant species adapted to desert environments. These activities are directly relevant to sustaining dryland vegetation, conserving habitat conditions and reducing pressures on vulnerable terrestrial ecosystems.
Conservation contribution to SDG 15
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Priority for SDG 15 |
Institutional research contribution in 2025 |
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SDG Target 15.1 - Terrestrial ecosystem conservation |
Protected-area bird monitoring and documentation of native plant biodiversity |
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SDG Target 15.3 - Combat desertification |
Desert habitat monitoring, mapping and scientifically developed sand-stabilisation approaches |
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SDG Target 15.5 - Reduce biodiversity loss |
Documentation of rare bird fauna and a restricted-range wild iris population to inform conservation |
Through these research programmes, TerSU contributed field observations, species-level scientific evidence and site-specific assessments relevant to the long-term conservation of plants, animals and threatened terrestrial habitats in southern Uzbekistan. Its 2025 activities strengthened the knowledge base needed to protect existing ecosystems and plan appropriate restoration and management interventions.