Turkmenistan and China join hands against desertification

Desertification

Experts from two countries expressed interest in scientific partnership to enhance the effectiveness of combating desertification, land degradation, and the preservation of biodiversity

Ashgabat

Scientists from China visited Turkmenistan and, during an informative trip to the village of Bokurdak, exchanged views with scientists from the National Institute of Deserts, Flora, and Fauna of Turkmenistan, Turkmenportal.tm reports.

During discussions on similar problems related to desertification, Dr. Zhang Yueming, General Director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Bai Chunli, President of the Alliance of International Scientific Organizations, Honorary President of the Academic Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a leading scientist in nanoscience at the Bai Chunli Institute of Chemistry, highly appreciated the potential of Turkmen desert science. They expressed interest in scientific partnership to enhance the effectiveness of combating desertification, land degradation, and the preservation of biodiversity.

The scientists discussed opportunities to improve professional training through master’s programs, joint field surveys, and the implementation of collaborative environmental and scientific programs in the areas of the Aral Sea and climate issues, ensuring sustainable development in Central Asian countries, China, and other neighboring states.

One of the important directions identified was the research on the functioning of ecosystems in arid and semi-arid territories against the backdrop of climate change, involving partner research institutions from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Turkmenistan’s environmental department. The collaboration also extended to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation named after A.N. Kostyakov and its branches. The significant experience of both countries in afforestation, pasture management, and the well-developed scientific and technical infrastructure of Turkmenistan and China were noted, enabling the exchange of research results.

Published under International Cooperation with "Sind Courier"