Scientists from the Institute of Zoology under the Academy of Sciences have reported a notable ecological discovery in the region. According to official reports, the Turkestani long-eared bat (Plecotus turkmenicus) has been officially recorded within the boundaries of the Southern Ustyurt National Nature Park.

Academic sources note that prior to this finding, reliable records and museum specimens concerning this specific species dated exclusively back to the period before 1970. For roughly 55 years, the Turkestani long-eared bat had practically never been encountered in the wild, leaving local conservationists with substantial knowledge gaps.

The recent findings were achieved during a field expedition organized under the umbrella of the 'One Health in Nature Conservation' project. This environmental initiative is currently being implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with financial assistance from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry of Environment.

Observers recall that earlier, under the leadership of the Berlin Museum of Natural History, a joint research team comprising specialists from Germany, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan conducted fieldwork in the Karakum Desert. During those activities near the border with Uzbekistan, the presence of the species was already documented, prompting preliminary assumptions about its wider regional distribution that have now been substantiated.

Source: www.gazeta.uz