Tasbaqa: Central Asian Tortoise on the Ustyurt PlateauCEFR A2
31 Aug 2025
Adapted from Vlast.kz, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by GWANGJIN GO, Unsplash
The Ustyurt Plateau is a large clay desert that crosses Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and western Kazakhstan. The Central Asian tortoise lives there and is called Tasbaqa in Kazakh. Human activity now is the main threat: tortoises are traded, sometimes killed by accident, and they can become trapped in cattle trenches.
British director Saxon Bosworth first found the plateau in 2020 on the Karakalpak side while documenting artemia brine shrimp. He made a short documentary, TASBAQA, which follows one day that represents the tortoise’s two-to-three month active period. The film was shown in July at the Royal Geographical Society in London and has a traditional dombra soundtrack. The project aims to raise awareness and help the Tasbaqa Fund.
Difficult words
- tortoise — A slow-moving land reptile with a shell.tortoises, tortoise's
- ecosystem — A group of living things and their environment.
- lives — The natural home of a plant or animal.
- adapt — To change to fit a new environment.
- hibernates — To sleep for a long time for survival.
- traditional — Related to customs or practices from the past.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How do you think human activities affect ecosystems?
- Why is it important to document animal life?
- What feelings did the music evoke for you during the film?
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