XIEG Holds 30th Salon for Scientific Exchange

On November 22, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences held the 30th "Salon for Scientific Exchange" (SSE). The event attracted the participation of more than 20 international experts and students.

Dr. Haytham Salem, an Egyptian scholar, was invited to give a presentation on "Innovative approaches to soil and water conservation in arid and semi-arid regions". At the same time, Prof. YANG Youlin, former Director of the Regional Coordination Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Prof. Alishir Kurban from XIEG, who just returned from the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. They were invited to share their experiences and feelings in COP29.

Dr. Salem, who worked at the Desert Research Center in Egypt before coming to Xinjiang, introduced the research of the center and the results of his work in promoting sustainable land management. Through technological innovation, he jointly developed a variety of agricultural planting equipment suitable for use in the Egyptian region, and carried out successful demonstrations. The experience of the transformation of these results is very important for arid countries to solve the environmental challenges of arid ecosystems.

Prof. YANG Youlin shared "CSO's Effort and Contribution to Mitigate DLDD and Improving Livelihood— Successful Case of SEE Foundation", introduced the Beijing Entrepreneurs Environmental Protection Foundation (SEE Foundation), the Alxa SEE Ecological Association, and the 10-year process and results of the "100 Million Haloxylon" project. Scientific planning and multi-stakeholder participation are essential for the implementation of desertification control. With a long time in the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), he has witnessed the arduous efforts of countries around the world to combat desertification, and he suggests that countries and individuals should avoid empty talk in the field of climate change, but should carry out practical work.

During the panel discussion, Prof. Alishir said that it was the first time for the institute to officially present in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to jointly organize a side event with relevant institutions, and to speak at a number of side meetings to publicize the work and experience of the institute in the field of climate change and land degradation.

After that, the three scholars discussed the key issues of COP29 and global desertification governance and climate action with all the participants of SSE, especially how the institute can better support global climate research, and build the best platform for global young scientists to cooperate in research. They suggested that everyone be sure to make the best research at XIEG, carry out more cooperation and exchanges, and contribute to their own countries and global sustainable development goals.

Presentation from Dr. Haytham Salem (Image by WANG Meng)

Presentation from Prof. YANG Youlin (Image by WANG Meng)

Panel discussion (Image by QIAO Jianfang)

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn