NOUAKCHOTT, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Officials and experts from China and Africa on Sunday called for stronger scientific and technological cooperation to address desertification and land degradation, urging closer coordination to advance Africa's Great Green Wall initiative.
The calls were made at the fourth Taklamakan Desert International Forum, held in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, where participants stressed that desertification remains a shared global challenge requiring joint action and the sharing of experience.
Duan Weili, vice president of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said China has developed a distinctive approach to combating desertification through more than 70 years of sustained efforts, combining scientific management, integrated treatment and livelihood-oriented ecological restoration.
China has taken the lead globally in achieving "zero growth" of land degradation, Duan noted, adding that practices from the management of the Taklamakan Desert, including ecological barriers and vegetation restoration along desert margins, could offer valuable references for arid and semi-arid regions in Africa.
He said China stands ready to deepen cooperation with African countries in research platforms, technology sharing and capacity building to support the localization and practical application of desertification control technologies.
Sidna Ahmed Ely, director general of Mauritania's National Agency of the Great Green Wall, said the Sahara Desert and the Taklamakan Desert share many similarities in ecological characteristics and governance challenges, making the forum an important platform for dialogue between the two major desert ecosystems.
In recent years, Mauritania has worked with Chinese research institutions on pilot projects involving dune fixation, vegetation restoration and soil improvement, Ely said, expressing hope for expanded cooperation in information exchange, joint research and environmental monitoring.
Xiao Wensheng, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Mauritania, said combating desertification is an integral part of global governance. Since joining the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, China has explored solutions suited to its national conditions and accumulated experiences that are both replicable and scalable, he said.
China is willing to strengthen policy coordination and scientific cooperation with African countries to support the Great Green Wall initiative and enhance regional ecological governance capacity, Xiao added.
Mauritanian Minister of Trade and Tourism Zeinebou Mint Ahmednah said climate change and land degradation have become critical issues affecting food security and socio-economic stability across Africa, noting that cooperation between Mauritania and China in combating desertification has become a practical example of South-South cooperation.
Jointly organized by the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Mauritania's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Alliance of International Science Organizations and the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, the forum featured keynote speeches, thematic discussions and a roundtable dialogue between experts on the Taklamakan and Sahara deserts.
