Protected areas of Turkmenistan include ninenature reserves (zapovednik)^[1] and 13sanctuaries (zakaznik) with a total area of 19,750 km² or more than 4% ofTurkmenistan's territory.

• Repetek Nature Reserve, inLebap Province, EastKarakum Desert, nearAmu Darya. Created in 1927 for study and preservation of a sand-desert ecosystem. Area 346 km².
• Hazar Nature Reserve, on the south-east coast of theCaspian Sea, inBalkan Province. Area 2,690 km².
• Bathyz Nature Reserve, inMary Province, betweenKushka andTejen rivers. Created in 1941 for the protection of the Badkhyz Plateau ecosystem. Area 877 km².
• Köpetdag Nature Reserve, in the central part of theKopetdag Range (Ahal Province). Created in 1976 for the protection of indigenous flora and fauna. Area 497 km².
• Sünt-Hasardag Nature Reserve, in South-WestKopetdag (Balkan Province). Created in 1977 for the restoration and study of indigenous flora and fauna. Area 303 km².
• Gaplaňgyr Nature Reserve, at the border with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the north-west (Daşoguz Province). Created in 1979 for the protection and restoration of indigenous flora and fauna of the Kaplkankyr Plateau and surrounding areas of Northern Turkmenistan. Area 2,822 km².
• Amyderýa Nature Reserve, in the north-east ofLebap Province on theAmu Darya. Created in 1982 with an area of 495 km².
• Köýtendag Nature Reserve (formerlyKugitang Nature Reserve), at the extreme east of the country, in theKöýtendag Range (Lebap Province). Created in 1986 with an area of 271.4 km².
• Bereketli Garagum Nature Reserve, created in 2013.

• Chemenibit (Çemenebit Sanctuary) (withinBathyz Nature Reserve)
• Kyzyldzhar (Gyzyljar Sanctuary) (Bathyz Nature Reserve)
• Pulkhatyn (Pulhatyn Sanctuary) (Bathyz Nature Reserve)
• Meana-Chaаcha (Mäne-Çäçe Sanctuary) (Köpetdag Nature Reserve)
• Kurykhovdan (Guryhowdan Sanctuary) (Köpetdag Nature Reserve)
• Syunt-Khasardag (Sünt-Hasardag Sanctuary) (Sünt-Hasardag Nature Reserve)
• Sarykamysh (Sarygamyş Sanctuary) (onSarygamyş Lake, inGaplaňgyr Nature Reserve)
• Shasenem (Şasenem Sanctuary) (nearSarygamyş Lake, inGaplaňgyr Nature Reserve)
• Kelif Sanctuary (south-eastLebap, within theAmyderýa Nature Reserve)
• Khodzhabuzhybelent (Hojaburjybelent Sanctuary) (Köýtendag Nature Reserve)
• Khodzhapil (Hojapil Sanctuary) (Köýtendag Nature Reserve)
• Karlyuk (Garlyk Sanctuary)(Köýtendag Nature Reserve)
• Hojagarawul Sanctuary (Köýtendag Nature Reserve)
• Ogurchinskiy (Ogurjaly Sanctuary) (onOgurchinskiy Island in theCaspian Sea, off the west coast ofBalkan Province, part ofHazar Nature Reserve)

Total area of sanctuaries is 11,560 km² (2.6% of Turkmenistan's territory).

• National Program for the Protection of the Environment, Ashgabat, 2002, pp. 149-151(in Russian)

• Map of nature reserves of Turkmenistan
• Turkmenistan Ministry of Nature Protection
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Protected areas of Turkmenistan

• Articles with Russian-language sources (ru)