At UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, experts laud sand control success and sharing of expertise
China has made significant scientific advancements in combating desertification while achieving substantial economic benefits at the same time, and these experiences are worth sharing with the world, foreign experts said.
They made the remarks after visiting the China Pavilion that opened on Dec 2 at the venue for the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Scientists in China have taken on issues that in the past seemed to be very difficult to solve,” said Barron Joseph Orr, chief scientist of the UNCCD.
The country has not only implemented new technologies to reduce soil erosion, it is also making dedicated efforts to share the expertise with the world, Orr said.
In methods such as soil implementation that can reduce erosion, China is very strong in terms of how that is applicable elsewhere, he said. “Those techniques are transferable, and there’s a very big effort in China to get it out to the world,” Orr said.
The China Pavilion is showcasing the country’s history and achievements in sand control, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program. An exhibit of the program, which has built a “green Great Wall” in 13 provincial-level regions in northern China, opened on Dec 2 at the UNCCD COP16 venue.
China’s efforts in combating desertification date back over 50 years. According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), 53 percent of
China’s treatable desertified land has been managed. By the end of last year, China’s forest coverage rate exceeded 25 percent.
China joined the UNCCD in 1994 and has been honored twice by the organization for “outstanding contribution to combating desertification”.
Chinese people have developed various methods to fight desertification, including creating the straw checkboard barrier-fixing sand dune, conducting aerial seeding, and closing sandy areas for revegetation, said Guan Zhiou, head of the Chinese delegation to COP16 and director of the NFGA.
“In recent years, mechanized and intelligent technologies such as sand fixation machinery, data monitoring and drone seeding have been widely adopted,” he said.
These technologies and methods are being showcased at the China Pavilion. Other exhibits include information about China’s ecological civilization concept, stories related to the history of desert control, and crops such as sea buckthorn and goji berries, which benefit people in desertified areas.
Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene toured the China Pavilion on Dec 2
and said he was impressed by the new technologies displayed, including some artificial intelligence-related land monitoring devices and data analysis equipment.
Jia Xiaoxia, deputy director of the NFGA’s Department of Desertification Control, guided Oyun-Erdene during the visit.
“There has been a lot of cooperation with neighboring countries — including Mongolia — in sand control,” Jia said.
Andrea Meza Murillo, deputy executive secretary of UNCCD, said she was impressed with China’s experience in the combination of sand control efforts and economic outcomes, as well as green energy.
In the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, regions use the unique resources of sandy areas to develop industries such as traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, high-quality forage grass, and desert tourism to support poverty alleviation efforts and rural vitalization.
“The China model is really showing that you can have development with these green ways,” Murillo said.
Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chang Hua said Beijing has collaborated with Riyadh on projects such as solar energy and new energy vehicles, and continuously exchanged experiences to prevent desertification.
He said a Chinese company is building near the Saudi city of Jeddah one of the largest solar power plants in the Middle East.
Nathan Williams in Riyadh and Shi Yudie in Beijing contributed to this story.
