On March 29, the release conference for achievements on Global Dryland Ecosystem Programme (hereinafter referred to as Global-DEP) was held in Beijing. Professor Chen Xi, the secretary of the CPC Leading Group of Xinjiang Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the director of the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (hereinafter referred to as the Center), attended the conference and accepted the joint interview by the news media attending such conference.

At the release conference, Fu Bojie, the chief scientist of this Programme and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), addressed the significance of dryland ecosystem research. He released the Chinese version of the Global Dryland Ecosystem Programme on behalf of the research team, and reported the goals, tasks and roadmap of the Global-DEP.

The Global-DEP was jointly initiated by CAS academician Fu Bojie and the Australian Dr. Mark Stafford Smith, and in August 2017, this Programme was supported by CAS Global-DEP Cultivation Special Fund. It devotes to promote the collaborative research on global dryland social-ecosystem and to integrate the wisdom of global researchers, practitioners and policy makers in order to develop a science plan providing support for dryland ecosystem management and sustainable livelihoods as well as to develop an implementation plan seeking funds for the project implementation. Currently, four theme work groups, five regional work groups and a secretariat have been established.

In the future, the Global-DEP will cooperate with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Region (ANSO) to conduct further scientific research and policy dialogue in different global drylands in order to establish relatively complete dryland scientific database and management case base, so that it not only could provide information and technical support for global scientific researchers, policy makers and local people, but also it could provide science & technology support both to build a community with shared future for mankind in global drylands and to realize the United Nations sustainable development goals.

In October 2019, the Center was invited to join the Global-DEP and was granted as the Central Asia Regional Center to manage and coordinate the scientific research and international cooperation of this Programme in the Central Asia

Liu Wenjiang, the standing deputy director of the Center attended the above activities

Project Keynote Report

Media Interview

Central Asia Regional Center