Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and China discussed green technologies for pasture restoration

On 26 August 2026, the side event “Green Technologies for Sustainable Rangeland Restoration and Combating Desertification” was held in Ulaanbaatar on the margins of the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).

The event brought together representatives and experts from Uzbekistan, Mongolia and China, as well as the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS), and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG).

Discussions focused on moving beyond individual research projects and pilot initiatives towards coordinated regional programmes capable of supporting degraded land restoration and sustainable rangeland management across arid areas.

Erkin Mukhitdinov, Director of the Agency for Afforestation, Expansion of Green Areas and Combating Desertification under Uzbekistan’s National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, highlighted the scale of the challenge. Around 30 million hectares of Uzbekistan consist of natural desert and arid landscapes, more than 11 million hectares are classified as degraded, and approximately 70% of the country is exposed to the risk of desertification.

He emphasized that effective land restoration requires more than isolated interventions. Solutions must be scientifically grounded, field-tested, measurable and suitable for large-scale application.

International scientific cooperation was another major focus of the event. Uzbekistan is working with Chinese research institutions on ecosystem restoration, desertification control, the development of halophyte gardens, the introduction of drought- and salt-tolerant plant species, environmental monitoring, and efficient water management.

The Uzbek–Chinese Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, opened in Tashkent in November 2025, has become an important platform for advancing joint research and translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions.

During the event, Uzbekistan proposed several mechanisms designed to strengthen regional cooperation, including:

• establishing a Central Asia–North Asia Laboratory for Dryland Technologies and Projects;

• developing a regional standard for assessing the quality of land restoration, supported by a monitoring, reporting and verification system (MRV);

• launching a joint programme for sustainable rangeland management and local community development.

The proposed initiatives would support the testing and adaptation of technologies for sand stabilization, rangeland restoration, the use of drought- and salt-tolerant plant species, precision water management, and digital and satellite-based monitoring.

Uzbekistan also expressed its readiness to provide pilot sites in Karakalpakstan, the Bukhara and Navoi regions, and other arid areas for testing and demonstrating modern land restoration technologies.

Participants noted that combining the scientific and practical expertise of Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China and other countries could help the region move from local research to jointly developed technologies, from pilot projects to large-scale implementation, and from the restoration of individual sites to the creation of resilient and productive economies across arid regions.

📌 Source: National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan.