Chinese Researchers Release Bilingual Land Cover Atlas of Five Central Asian Countries (1990-2020)

On June 11, researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the Land Cover Atlas of Five Central Asian Countries (1990–2020) during the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange.

This atlas is the first bilingual (Chinese and Russian) professional land cover atlas of Central Asian countries, compiled by Chinese researchers. It is based on 1,040 remote sensing images that span the entire region of five Central Asian countries for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Using advanced remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, the researchers created a total of 202 land cover maps across these four key years.

The atlas comprehensively illustrates the spatial and temporal changes in land cover across Central Asia over the past three decades. It is expected to support sustainable economic development and environmental protection efforts within the region. In addition, it provides critical data support for resource management, environmental protection, and disaster monitoring.

Serving as a baseline dataset for land use, the atlas lays a solid foundation for the sustainable development and international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, contributing to regional economic prosperity and ecological balance.

Release of the Land Cover Atlas of Five Central Asian Countries (Image by XIEG)

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

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

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