1000 Manat Great Bustard

The great bustard (Otis tarda) was once widespread across the Eurasian steppe, including Turkmenistan's northern plains, but dramatic population collapse through the twentieth century — driven by agricultural mechanization, hunting, and habitat loss — reduced it to near-extinction across much of its former Central Asian range. Turkmenistan's inclusion of the species in this 2006 silver program reflects genuine conservation concern rather than mere iconography; the country had by then signed the Convention on Migratory Species and was actively engaged in bustard protection efforts.