The Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (Central Asian depression) in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and the Tigrovaya Balka Tugan forests near Amu Darya in Tajikistan were added to the UNESCO World Heritage site list.

The transnational property of Cold Winter deserts of Turan (including Kyzyl Kum and Kara kum deserts) comprises fourteen component parts found across arid areas of Central Asia’s temperate zone between the Caspian Sea and the more mountainous areas of Eastern Central Asia. The area is subject to extreme climatic conditions with very cold winters and hot summers, and boasts an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna that has adapted to the harsh conditions. The property also represents a considerable diversity of desert ecosystems, spanning a distance of more than 1500 kilometres from East to West. Each of the parts complement the others in terms of biodiversity, desert types, and ongoing ecological processes.

Tigrovaya Balka national park is one of the last locations on Earth where wide spread Tugan flood area jungle like forests still exist. There are several rare and endagered species living in the area including mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. Tigers also used to live in this area but have unfortunately already disappeared in the 1970s.