Central Kyzylkum National Nature Park

Central Kyzylkum National Nature Park protects a 1.2-million-hectare stretch of the Kyzylkum Desert in the Uchkuduq district of Uzbekistan's Navoiy region, among the largest protected areas created in the country's deserts. Established to safeguard the ecosystems of the Turan lowland, it combines wide sandy plains, dune fields and low ridges rising to roughly 200 meters, split into strictly protected, recreational and limited economic-use zones. More than forty plant species grow here, many traditionally used as food or medicine, and the park shelters upward of seventeen mammal species, including the sand cat, goitered gazelle, corsac fox, Tolai hare and Turkmen caracal. It also lies along a migratory corridor used by birds such as the saker falcon and several vulture species. Run by Uzbekistan's state ecology committee, the park balances conservation with controlled recreational access, offering visitors a large-scale look at the Kyzylkum's desert wildlife and terrain.