National experts have explained their approach with the assertion that they have a better understanding than do international organizations of trends in species status in Turkmenistan, and/or that the international system needs to be adapted to the peculiarities there. Both arguments are unconvincing: IUCN assessment criteria have not been developed to replace existing national expertise, but rather to ensure that threat categories are applied in an objective and consistent manner. Furthermore, rigorous application of the globally accepted assessment criteria would highlight rather than ignore peculiarities of Turkmen biodiversity.