South Ustyurt National Nature Park

South Ustyurt National Nature Park was established by decree on 11 November 2020 in the Qongirot district of Karakalpakstan, covering about 1.45 million hectares across the northwestern edge of the Ustyurt Plateau, making it one of the largest protected areas in Uzbekistan. Its territory is zoned into a strictly protected core of roughly 935,000 hectares, a recreational zone of about 70,000 hectares and an economic-use area of some 443,000 hectares. The landscape ranges from flat plateau and sand dunes to salt marshes and the dramatic limestone and chalk cliffs known locally as "chinks," escarpments that in places reach 350 meters. Around 350 plant species have been recorded, including rare saxaul and wormwood, together with 149 animal species, 36 of which are listed in Uzbekistan's Red Book, among them the Ustyurt mouflon and caracal documented by camera traps. The park operates under Uzbekistan's State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection.