In the tri-border area between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan lies the Ustyurt Plateau, characterised by canyons and different types of deserts. It is one of the last places of refuge for various species of animals listed on the Appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environmental treaty of the United Nations. Some of these migratory species are endangered and endemic, and include Saiga Antelopes (Saiga tatarica), Urial (Ovis vignei), Goitered Gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa), Kulan (Equus hemionus), and Persian Leopards (Panthera pardus tulliana).

The Republic of Uzbekistan is undertaking efforts to contribute to the preservation of biological diversity in the Central Asian region. Goitered Gazelles, or Jeyran, are gazelle species that inhabit Central Asian flat or low-altitude deserts, steep hills, and desert foothills.

The Central Asian Mammals and Climate Adaptation (CAMCA) project, funded by the German International Climate Initiative (IKI), targets the conservation of three CMS species: Bukhara Deer (Cervus elaphus yarkandensis), Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), and Argali (Ovis ammon), as well as the Asiatic Ibex (Capra sibirica), Tian Shan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), and Tian Shan Maral (Cervus canadensis songaricus). Local CAMCA partners in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan worked hard in 2023 to put into action the "Open Standards" methodology, a powerful, evidence-based approach to adaptive management.

The Bukhara deer is a subspecies of the red deer that inhabits riparian forests along desert rivers in central Asia (Tugai forest) and is assessed by the IUCN as vulnerable. In total, there are less than four thousand individuals in the wild, inhabiting four countries. The largest population survives in Uzbekistan, with the largest grouping of the deer inhabiting the Lower Amu Darya Biosphere Reserve (NABR) in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.