From May 4 - 5, 2026, a regional meeting of members of the Central Asia Biodiversity Conservation Network (CABCN) was held in Dushanbe. The meeting was organized within the framework of cooperation between the National Center for Biodiversity and Biosafety of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the National Arboretum of the Republic of Korea, as well as several scientific research institutions from Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan).
The regional meeting on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity was attended by specialists and scientists from national botanical institutes and botanical gardens of the four Central Asian countries, as well as representatives and researchers from the National Arboretum of Korea, the Baekdudaegan Arboretum, and other scientific organizations of the Republic of Korea, under the chairmanship of the Committee. It served as a platform for discussing the latest scientific and practical achievements in the field of preserving valuable floristic resources.
At the opening ceremony of the event, speeches were delivered by the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee Isfandiyor Shukurzoda, Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences Mirzorahimzoda Akobir, Head of Konkuk University Professor Chang Changi, and Dr. Chang Kae-sun, representative of the leadership of the National Arboretum of the Republic of Korea.
In his opening remarks, Isfandiyor Shukurzoda emphasized that the country’s biodiversity, particularly its valuable genetic resources, plays a key role in ensuring food security and environmental sustainability. He expressed gratitude to partners for their long-term scientific and technical cooperation and highlighted the importance of strengthening research capacity to develop science-based measures for the conservation of valuable ecosystems and the support of ecosystem services.
The discussions held during the seminar made it possible to identify priority areas of joint work within the third phase of the project, focusing on the study of the composition and condition of vegetation in important floristic regions, as well as the development of appropriate scientific measures for the sustainable use and conservation of valuable plant species.
