Central Asian and Russian Representatives Tell TV BRICS About New Tools for Land Protection

Joint research, early warning systems and AI-supported digital monitoring were among the central themes.

During UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, representatives of the UNCCD Interregional Group “Central Asia–Russia” spoke to TV BRICS about the practical results of their cooperation and the technologies that countries could apply jointly to address land degradation.

The interviews were conducted during the Interregional Group’s session at the Russian Pavilion. The discussion, moderated by German Kust, Chair of the Group’s Bureau, covered cooperation among the Rio Conventions, regional environmental challenges and future areas of joint work.

Nadezhda Dementieva, UNCCD secretariat Coordinator for Central and Eastern Europe and the Central Asian country group, recalled that the Interregional Group was established in 2019 to support the joint implementation of the Convention and its 2018–2030 Strategic Framework.

She described the partnership as “more than an exchange of views,” emphasizing its role in sharing scientific data and sustainable land management practices.

This cooperation has produced three joint publications involving authors from the participating countries: the first Global Land Outlook thematic report devoted to Central Asia, a publication on assessing land degradation neutrality, and a study on carbon farming.

Alisher Salomov, Adviser to the Chair of Uzbekistan’s National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, focused on the cross-border nature of land degradation and dust storms. As he noted, “environmental challenges do not stop at national borders,” making a shared understanding of risks and coordinated action essential.

One practical area of cooperation is the development of environmental monitoring, forecasting and early warning centers, which Uzbekistan is establishing together with international partners.

Murat Temirzhanov, Chair of Kazakhstan’s Land Management Committee, presented the country’s experience with digital land governance. Kazakhstan has completed the digitization of its land data and is developing an information system combining data on soil quality, agrochemical characteristics, vegetation cover and rangeland carrying capacity.

The next stage involves connecting the platform with other government databases and integrating artificial intelligence to support land condition analysis. Kazakhstan expressed its readiness to share this solution with other members of the Interregional Group.

The session also featured Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andrey Razin; Chair of Tajikistan’s Committee for Environmental Protection Bahodur Sheralizoda; expert of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan Azamat Sharshenbekov; and representative of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Environmental Protection Berdy Berdyev.

The views presented to TV BRICS demonstrate how regional cooperation is progressing from the exchange of experience towards the practical integration of scientific data, digital platforms and early warning systems.

📌 Source: TV BRICS.