Symposium on desertification held in Hohhot

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the International Symposium on Desertification Control is held in Hohhot, capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on June 17. [Photo/people.com.cn]

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the International Symposium on Desertification Control was held in Hohhot, capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on June 17.

Over 400 people attended the commemorative conference, including the heads of relevant state departments, representatives of international organizations, domestic and foreign desertification experts, scholars, and company representatives.

At the meeting, attendees discussed the current global state of desertification control, as well as China's outstanding contributions and successful experiences in desertification control over the years.

The China Green Foundation and the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Inner Mongolia signed an agreement on strategic cooperation. Over the course of five years, Inner Mongolia will receive a 500 million yuan ($72.47 million) donation for afforestation and ecological restoration projects.

Zhang Jianlong, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said at the meeting that China will continue to work with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to combat desertification by increasing the number of training courses and projects.

According to local media reports, the symposium lasted two days, and participants discussed technological innovation in desertification control, ecological restoration in sandy areas, causes of wind and dust storms, improvement of monitoring and warning systems, implementation of Belt and Road Initiative cooperation mechanisms for combating desertification, and multilateral and pragmatic cooperation.

Representatives from the China Green Foundation and the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Inner Mongolia sign an agreement on strategic cooperation on June 17. [Photo/people.com.cn]