Kaplankyr (or Gaplangyr) is a mountain plateau and nature reserve in the northern part of Turkmenistan. The Kaplankyr Nature Reserve was created in 1979. Its total area is about 2822 km². This is a place where the protection and restoration of local flora and fauna is ensured. The reserve is located on the Kaplankyr plateau at the southern spur of the Ustyurt plateau in Turkmenistan, on the border with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in the north-west of Dashoguz velayat.
Wildlife
26 species of mammals, 147 species of birds and 918 species of higher plants are registered in the Kaplankyr Nature Reserve. Protected rare species of animals living in the reserve include the Central Asian gazelle, Ustyurt mountain sheep, honey badger, as well as a significant population of saiga, migrating here in winter from Karakalpakstan.
Plants include Khiva thistle, Turkmen tulip, Antonia’s gypsophila, Karelin sand acacia and 55 other endemic species. The Gaplangyr Nature Reserve also includes two reserves: the Sarygamysh reserve, created in 1980 as a lake-coastal ecosystem, and the Shasenem reserve, created in 1984 to preserve the rocky desert and the Turkmen kulan.