Prof. Agajan Babaev was born on May 10, 1929, in Turkmenistan, he turned 90 in 2019.
70 years of his life, he dedicated to scientific and pedagogical activity. He was born in Mary and graduated Natural and Geographic Department and Post-graduate of Magtumguly Turkmen State University in 1953 where he taught afterwards for 10 years.
All this time, subjects of physical geography, geomorphology and geographic ecology formed up the circle of his scientific interests. Combating against desertification, development of methods of fastening, forestation and plantation development of moving sands were an important direction of his scientific specialisation.
Agajan Babayev initiated and became the Chief Editor of international scientific and practical magazine “Problems of Deserts’ Development”, which pages reflect the results of scientific studies and the world practice in this sphere. Articles of the magazine highlights various aspects of solution of Aral Sea problem, development of livestock farming and improvement of forage base of arid territories, issues of soil improvement of sands and deserted lands.
300 scientific works and 17 monographs of Agajan Babayev, many of which were translated into Russian, English, French, Arabic and Chinese languages, have been published. His books “Karakum Desert” (1963), “Oasis Sands of Turkmenistan” (1973), “Deserts of the USSR” (1977), “Deserts of the World” (1986), “Problems of Arid Geomorphology” (1990), “Problems of Desert Development” (1995), “Problems of Arid Land Development” (1996), “Problems of Deserts and Desertification in Central Asia” (1999), “Problems of Deserts and Desertification” (2012) received high appraisal among his foreign colleagues. “Life in Desert Science” is one of his latest works. Textbooks for secondary schools “General Physical Geography” (1992), “Geography of the Continents and Oceans” (1994), “Physical Geography of Turkmenistan” (1997) have been published in co-authorship with other scientists.
Turkmen scientist took part in the preparation to XIV IUCN General Assembly (1978) in Ashgabat, international and geographic congresses in USSR (1976), Japan (1980), France (1984), Australia (1988) as well as in organization of forum “The UN Convention for Combating Desertification: National Approach” in our country in 1986 as well as in the development of UN Convention for Combating Desertification.
In different years, he used to chair the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna, scientific council for problems of deserts in Central Asia, scientific and informational centre of Interstate Commission for sustainable development of International Fund for Saving of Aral Sea, republican geographic society, Central Asian regional centre of studies and training of personnel for problems of combating desertification, Committee of International Muhammed Al Khorezmi Award in Science and Technology.
Contribution of the scientists to integrated studies carried out by National Institute of deserts, Flora and Fauna is immeasurable. In 1969, the Institute, which was chaired by Agajan Babayev for forty years, was awarded with Labour Red Flag Order for the input to solution of problems in ecology and development of arid lands and with silver medal of the UN Environmental Programme in 1984.
Agajan Babayev is the Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, Fellow Member of the Academy of Islamic World and New Your Academy. He is the USSR State Prize laureate in science and technology (1981), Karpinsky International Prize (Germany, 1991). G. Pill International Prize 9USA, 1993) as well as was awarded with the Order of Honour (1985) and Galkynysh (1999), S. I. Vavilov medal.