It is located approximately 70 km (43 mi) south from Türkmenabat and is known for its zemzen (desert monitor which is Varanus griseus).

[3] Black saxaul (Haloxylon aphyllum), rare to most part of Central Asia covers more than 1,470 km2 (570 sq mi), approximately 4.5% of the territory of the reserve.

[4] During the Soviet period the reserve belongs to the Institute of Deserts of the Turkmen SSR Academy of Sciences.

The list of scientific publications concerning with the Repetek sandy desert station and the biosphere reserve since 1982 to 1991 consists of about 250 papers (30% on landscape structure and geography, 20% on botany and 50% on zoology).

[7] The Repetek Biosphere State Reserve is part of an Important Bird Area (IBA) and since 1979 has been an under the monitoring of UNESCO but "the site is under the administration of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan".