Green Camel Bell

17/09/2026

On 24 August, the side event “Chinese Experience and Global South Applications: Degraded Rangeland Restoration and Land Degradation Neutrality” was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on the sidelines of the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).
The event brought together representatives from China and Mongolia, the UNCCD secretariat, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), universities and research institutions, ecological restoration companies and pastoralist communities. Discussions focused on degraded rangeland restoration, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), cooperation across the Global South and follow-up action to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), including a proposal to establish an International Rangeland Day.
The side event was hosted by the Grassland Management Department of China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Experimental Center of Forestry in North China of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and Lanzhou University. Co-hosts included Beijing Forestry University, the Institute of Grassland Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, ICIMOD and the Gansu Green Camel Bell Environment and Development Center.
Building Consensus for Global Rangeland Conservation
The United Nations designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. Rangelands cover around half of the world’s land surface and play a vital role in supporting biodiversity and pastoral livelihoods. Against the backdrop of climate change and land degradation, restoring degraded rangelands, strengthening ecosystem resilience and supporting sustainable pastoral livelihoods have become increasingly important global priorities.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Han Fengze, Deputy Director General of the Grassland Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, stressed that land degradation knows no borders and that rangeland conservation requires international cooperation.
He noted that countries across the Global South are home to extensive natural rangelands, but share challenges related to land degradation, pastoral livelihoods, finance, technology and capacity. Greater policy dialogue, scientific and technological cooperation and exchange of experience are therefore essential.
Han said China has long pursued integrated conservation and systematic governance across mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and deserts, while continuing to restore degraded rangelands and explore ways to balance ecological conservation with pastoral development.
He also put forward four proposals: jointly advancing an International Rangeland Day; giving rangelands greater prominence in global land governance; strengthening rangeland governance through scientific and technological innovation; and deepening cooperation across the Global South.
Mr. Lu Qi, Counsellor of the State Council of China and a UN Champions of the Earth laureate, said rangeland issues should be considered within the broader framework of global land governance, desertification control, food security and pastoral livelihoods.
He called for joint efforts to “restore vitality to rangelands, make conservation a livelihood for pastoralists, enable pastoralists to share the benefits, and share ecological gains with the world.”
Dr. Barron Joseph Orr, Chief Scientist of the UNCCD, stressed the need to strengthen coordination among science, policy and communities, while balancing ecological, economic and social needs. He noted that China’s experience in coordinating environmental protection, economic development and social needs across large landscapes and regions could offer useful lessons for land protection and restoration elsewhere.
Sharing Chinese Practices and Exploring Restoration Pathways
During the keynote session, Mr. Wang Guancong, Director at the Grassland Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, presented China’s experience in rangeland conservation, restoration and sustainable development.
During China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period, nearly RMB 200 billion was invested in the rangeland sector. More than 46 million mu of rangeland were restored each year, while healthy and sub-healthy rangelands reached 2.7 billion mu, accounting for more than 70 percent of the country’s grassland area.
Wang said China has followed the principles of conservation first, systematic restoration and science-based use, combining institutional protection, ecological restoration and grass-livestock balance while exploring green development models including the grass seed industry and ecological pastoralism.
Dr. Carlos Enrique Michaud, Co-Chair of the Global Alliance for Rangelands and Pastoralists, reviewed the development of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. He said the initiative should go beyond awareness-raising to support policy improvements, knowledge exchange and sustained investment, while giving pastoralists a stronger voice in international policy processes.
He also welcomed China’s proposal for an International Rangeland Day as a way to sustain the momentum generated by IYRP 2026.
Dr. Yuan Weijie of the Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, Chinese Academy of Forestry, discussed pathways for degraded rangeland restoration from a Global South perspective.
She emphasized that restoration should not focus solely on vegetation recovery, but should also address ecological processes, biodiversity, soil quality, pastoral incomes and policy support. She also shared China’s grassland-photovoltaic complementary model, which combines photovoltaic power generation, rangeland restoration and pastoral production to explore synergies between ecological recovery and local economic development.
Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), shared community-based practices that combine satellite imagery, participatory mapping and Indigenous knowledge in land restoration.
She stressed that science, technology and Indigenous knowledge can reinforce one another, and called for stronger South-South cooperation and greater exchange of experience among countries and communities.
Bringing Diverse Voices Together for an International Rangeland Day
A roundtable discussion titled “A Key Legacy of IYRP: Advancing an International Rangeland Day” was moderated by Jashi Dorji of ICIMOD. Representatives from research institutions, businesses, pastoralist communities and local government in Mongolia shared their perspectives.
Dr. Li Ping, a researcher at the Institute of Grassland Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said an International Rangeland Day could help raise public awareness of the value of rangelands and the importance of rangeland science. She said it could also facilitate transnational research networks, long-term monitoring, data exchange and training for young researchers, while contributing to international technical guidelines and standards for rangeland conservation and management.
Pastoralist representative Ms. Qiburi from Inner Mongolia emphasized that pastoralism is not aimless or disorderly migration, but a sustainable way of life shaped by generations of experience. As climate uncertainty increases, she said pastoralists need not only scientific monitoring and policy support, but also greater opportunities to participate in research and policymaking.
She described an International Rangeland Day as “not merely a symbolic observance, but a bridge for knowledge sharing and participation in decision-making,” and said it could help bring pastoral knowledge into global land governance while turning the momentum of IYRP 2026 from a one-year agenda into a longer-term institutional arrangement.
Business representatives Mr. Boerjin, General Manager of Inner Mongolia Burula Ecological Technology Co., Ltd., and Mr. Tuo Xiangyin, a representative of YuanSheng LvYang Forest and Grass Ecological Engineering Company in Ningxia, also expressed support for the proposal. They said an International Rangeland Day could raise international recognition of the ecological and social value of rangelands, encourage wider participation in degraded rangeland restoration, and strengthen collaboration among governments, research institutions, businesses and pastoralists.
Mr. Samdannyam Munkhchuluun, Governor of Dundgovi Province, Mongolia, also expressed his support for the establishment of an International Rangeland Day from a policymaker’s perspective.
Shape the Future Together
Four pastoralists from China, Africa, Nepal, and India read out the proposal to establish an International Rangeland Day in their own languages.
Representative from Inner Mongolia: Elevate grasslands to a global priority for biodiversity, climate resilience, land restoration, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods.
Representative from Africa: Establish an International Grasslands Day under the UN to sustain global awareness, political commitment, cooperation, and action beyond 2026.
Representative from Nepal: Restore degraded grasslands and strengthen pastoral livelihoods by combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern science, technology, and innovation.
Representative from India: Mobilize investment and global partnerships to scale up grassland conservation, knowledge sharing, cross-border cooperation, and inclusive action by governments, communities, women and youth.
Extending the Momentum for Long-Term Action
From policymaking and scientific research to business practice and pastoral knowledge, the side event brought together the diverse actors needed to advance rangeland governance.

Participants stressed that the attention generated by IYRP 2026 should continue beyond the International Year, and highlighted the proposed International Rangeland Day as a possible long-term platform for policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and multi-stakeholder cooperation.

They also called for stronger cooperation on rangeland conservation and restoration across the Global South, with the aim of turning the international attention generated during IYRP 2026 into sustained, long-term action.

17/09/2026

UNCCD COP17 | Chinese Experience in Collaborative Development of Community-Led Grassland Governance and Climate Change Adaptation
A side event themed “Chinese Experience in Collaborative Development of Community-Led Grassland Governance and Climate Change Adaptation” was held on August 19, 2026, at the China Pavilion in the Blue Zone of the UNCCD COP17 venue in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The event brought together experts, representatives of civil society organizations and community practitioners from China, Mongolia and international organizations to exchange experiences on community participation, grassland governance, climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods, and to explore community-led approaches to ecological governance in arid and semi-arid regions.
The side event was organized by the Shanshui Conservation Center, Haidian District, Beijing, with co-organizers including the Gansu Green Camel Bell Environmental Development Center, Xilingol AEI Environmental Volunteer Association, West Ujimqin Pastoral Information Service Center, Inner Mongolia Churiya Pastoral Ecology Research Center, Ant Forest Public Welfare Foundation, Oxfam, Caodu Group, and the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP).
Making Communities a Driving Force in Ecological Governance
In her opening remarks, Liu Yi, Programme Management Specialist with the Environment and Energy Unit of the UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre and GEF SGP Asia-Pacific Focal Point, noted that arid and semi-arid regions around the world are facing the dual challenges of land degradation and climate change.
As climate and ecological risks continue to intensify, strengthening the participation of local communities and Indigenous peoples in land governance and resilience building is becoming an increasingly important part of global environmental governance.
Shi Xiangying, Executive Director of the Shanshui Conservation Center, introduced China’s experience in developing community-based conservation areas in pastoral regions.
She noted that, against the backdrop of China’s continued efforts to advance ecological civilization and combat desertification, China has gradually developed a multi-stakeholder approach that combines government guidance, civil society participation and community- and herder-led action.
China has continued to strengthen grassland conservation through measures including the protection of basic grasslands, livestock carrying-capacity management, grazing bans and rest periods, and grassland ecological compensation programmes. These policies have provided an institutional foundation for community participation in grassland governance.
A wide range of community-led practices—including community co-management, self-governance and stewardship, sustainable grazing, degraded grassland restoration, species conservation, community-based monitoring and livelihood transition—are becoming an important part of grassland conservation in China.
China-Mongolia Dialogue: Finding Common Ground Across Different Governance Approaches
Grassland ecosystems transcend national borders. China’s Inner Mongolia and Mongolia share similar ecological conditions and pastoral traditions, while facing common challenges from climate change, grassland degradation and extreme weather.
Narangowa of the Inner Mongolia Churiya Pastoral Ecology Research Center presented a comparative perspective on grassland governance in China and Mongolia.
In China, grassland restoration has been supported primarily through national policies and ecological programmes, including grazing exclusion, grassland restoration and ecological compensation measures. Mongolia, meanwhile, has developed an approach combining policy regulation with community self-governance, with Pasture User Groups (PUGs) engaging in collective decision-making on pasture allocation and rotational grazing arrangements.
Despite differences in governance approaches, the two countries share a common ecological principle: mobility and adaptability.
From the flexible movement of traditional pastoral communities to dynamic monitoring and resource coordination in modern grassland management, the ability to adapt management practices to changing environmental conditions remains essential to building climate resilience in pastoral areas.
Participants suggested that China and Mongolia could further strengthen cooperation through cross-border joint monitoring, exchanges on ecological technologies, ecological conservation corridors and knowledge-sharing on traditional ecological practices, helping turn shared aspirations for transboundary grassland conservation into practical cooperation.
From Forage Banks to Community Co-management: Local Solutions for Climate Adaptation
Strengthening the climate resilience of pastoral communities in response to droughts, snow disasters, locust outbreaks and other extreme weather events was another major focus of the side event.
Bayar, Director of the West Ujimqin Pastoral Information Service Center, shared the experience of the forage bankin Bayan-Wundur Gacha.
Drawing on the participation of 117 herder households and 540,000 mu of grassland, the local community established a shareholding cooperative that combines forage reserves with community organization, financial services and ecological conservation. Forage is dynamically stored and rotated based on 10–15 percent of the livestock inventory.
During disasters, forage is supplied at prices 15–20 percent below market rates. The community has also explored mechanisms such as forage loans, forage exchanges and points-based incentives.
The forage bank is therefore more than a reserve of feed. It forms part of a broader community-based risk management system. Herder households gain more reliable access to forage, cooperatives strengthen their capacity to provide services, and governments and social organizations gain an additional mechanism for disaster preparedness and response. By reducing excessive grazing during disaster periods, the initiative also helps ease pressure on grassland ecosystems.
In Qinghai’s Sanjiangyuan region, communities are likewise playing an increasingly important role in ecological restoration and climate monitoring.
Wang Yiliao, Programme Coordinator at the Shanshui Conservation Center, introduced community conservation practices in Jiatang and Nianbaoyuze.
Local herders use community co-management committees to make decisions on grassland restoration areas and management approaches. Combining scientific species selection, enclosure-based restoration and locally developed techniques such as the use of cattle manure to support reseeding, communities have restored 150 hectares of degraded grassland, bringing high-quality vegetation back to areas once known as “black soil patches.”
Local herders have also taken on a new role as observers and recorders of ecological change.
Since 2004, herders have participated in glacier monitoring, evolving from marking locations with stones to using GPS positioning and photographic documentation. In 2025, they produced the documentary Snow Mountain Monitoring, using their own experiences to document changes in glaciers across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Turning Conservation into Livelihoods
Ecological conservation and community development do not have to be separate goals. Conservation can also create new livelihood opportunities.
In Jiatang, Qinghai, the Dengjialacuo Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative has combined traditional felt-making techniques with contemporary design to develop a women-led handicraft industry inspired by wildlife and landscapes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Since its establishment in 2021, the cooperative has generated more than 280,000 yuan in revenue.
In the Hunshandake Sandy Land of Inner Mongolia, the Xilingol AEI Environmental Volunteer Association has explored an integrated conservation model linking grasslands, wetlands, sandy landscapes and migratory birds.
To address both the conservation needs of habitats for species such as the white-naped crane and red-crowned craneand the livelihood needs of local communities, the initiative has sought to transform herders from passive observers of conservation into active participants. Bird protection teams, nature education, ecotourism, homestays and cultural and creative products have helped build stronger links between ecological conservation and local economic development.
Among the community members contributing to these efforts are Hu Yulong, who has worked in ecological conservation for more than two decades; Wang Guobiao, who moved from being a hunting enthusiast to becoming a key member of a bird protection team; Yiboletu, who returned to his hometown to operate a grassland homestay while participating in migratory bird conservation; and Aonisu, who works in nature education for children.
Their experiences demonstrate that lasting conservation depends on enabling communities to move from being the “objects” of conservation to becoming active stewards, while ensuring that ecological value is translated into tangible benefits for local livelihoods.
The experience of the Maqu Grassland in Gansu Province further demonstrates the potential of integrating ecological conservation with clean energy and sustainable livelihoods.
Zhao Zhong, Director of the Gansu Green Camel Bell Environmental Development Center, introduced the organization’s work in promoting community-based natural resource management since 2005, alongside the development of ecotourism and environmentally friendly industries.
In the Ka'ersi community, income from ecotourism increased from 5,600 yuan in 2016 to 30,000 yuan in 2021. At the same time, distributed solar power has increasingly been used for electric cooking, heating, water pumping, electric fencing and livestock-product processing, providing pastoral communities in high-altitude areas with more accessible and low-carbon energy solutions.
From China’s Experience to Global Cooperation
Tugsbuyan Munkhbayar, representing the Mongolian Nature Heritage Foundation, introduced the “Eternal Mongolia” initiative and its approaches to community-based natural resource management and sustainable financing.
The initiative explores diversified financing mechanisms—including protected-area entrance fees, natural resource user fees, biodiversity credits and green loans—to provide long-term financial support for both conservation and community development.
The Mongolian Association for Environment and Development (JASIL) also shared two decades of experience with Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in Mongolia.
According to Ykhanbai Hijiaba, a representative of JASIL, the CBNRM approach places emphasis on multi-stakeholder coordination, bottom-up participation and learning through practice, with grassroots organizations such as Pasture User Groups (PUGs) and Forest User Groups (FUGs) playing a central role.
Mongolia currently has 1,509 CBNRM groups, covering approximately 81,600 herder households. Through pasture-use agreements with local governments, these groups participate in the management of approximately 30 million hectares of pastureland.
This bottom-up governance approach offers a useful complement to China’s more policy-driven model, providing valuable experience for cooperation on transboundary grassland governance.
From China’s policy-driven approach and community co-management to Mongolia’s community self-governance and Pasture User Groups; from forage banks and grassland restoration to glacier monitoring, bird protection teams and clean energy initiatives, the experiences shared at the side event differed in their approaches but pointed to a common conclusion:
The resilience of ecological governance ultimately depends on the participation, knowledge and action of local communities.
Pastoral communities and herders are key actors in grassland governance and should receive greater recognition, support and opportunities to participate. China’s experience in combining policy guidance, community-based governance, technological innovation and the preservation of traditional knowledge offers useful lessons for community-based ecological governance in dryland and semi-arid regions around the world.
From a single pasture and a community forage bank to bird protection teams and local glacier monitors, the foundations of ecological governance are being built within communities. Through exchanges across regions and borders, these local efforts can contribute to a broader collective response to global environmental challenges.
Looking ahead, participants will continue to promote the exchange and sharing of community-based experiences, support pastoral communities in strengthening climate resilience, and explore greater synergies among biodiversity conservation, improved livelihoods and climate action—working together toward a more resilient future in which people and nature thrive together.

30/08/2026

2026年8月26日10时30分许，尼泊尔一侧高山冰崩引发跨境泥石流，冲击西藏日喀则市吉隆县吉隆口岸；截至8月28日15时，已致5人遇难、558人失联。

灾害成因：
源头位于尼泊尔境内高程约5140米错坚河上游冰川，冰崩总面积约62万平方米，形成高速碎屑流后演化为泥石流。

来源：新华社、央广网、人民日报、中国新闻网等权威媒体报道（2026年8月26-28日）。图片来源于网络。

冰川融水奔涌而下，高山峡谷既是壮美风景，也是需要敬畏的灾害走廊。

这并非吉隆第一次被山洪泥石流截断。2025年7月，同一口岸附近的中尼热索友谊桥就被山洪泥石流冲毁。短时间多次重创，让“高山峡谷”“跨境链式灾害”这几个词，第一次以如此沉痛的方式走进我们的视野。
一起重读一篇十一年前的旧文——2015年尼泊尔大地震后，作者温波在荷兰在线特约专栏撰文，提出的一系列关于高山流域地质风险、跨境灾害协同与生态保护的思考，在十一年后的今天依然值得重新审视。

当灾害从邻国奔涌而来，十一年前敲响的警钟，今天依然回响。

原文
尼泊尔大地震夺取众多生命，死伤人数仍在攀升，让人痛惜之余，不禁让人思考地震灾害对尼泊尔当地和临近西藏地区的水坝安全的威胁。
尼泊尔位于喜马拉雅山脉南侧，位于地壳活跃地区。我们从中学地理课上，就知道喜马拉雅山脉在印度板块和亚欧板块的挤压下仍在拱起过程，青藏高原是在地球地质变化的时间长河中依旧年轻，地质活动活跃。
在国内水电建设大跃进的背景下，产能过剩，水电企业只有不断开疆拓土，世界屋脊的雅鲁藏布江流域也落入国企水电掌控，水电项目纷纷上马。
然而，这种只从自身经济利益、电能产出为主的考量，决策往往是缺乏深思熟虑，甚至违背基本自然常识和科学道理。如今，号称世界最大水电项目的雅鲁藏布江水电开发项目已逐步上马。此次尼泊尔地震再次提醒政府和公众，雅鲁藏布江流域所在地区是地震多发地，如此大规模建设水坝工程，是否合情合理？！
雅鲁藏布江丰富的水资源，得益于青藏高原的雪山和冰川融化，以及流域地区可以涵养水源的草地、森林生态系统。但气候变化让冰川退化，河谷地区尚存的刀耕火种让植被破坏严重，水电建设更是给原始生态系统致命一击，这些生态破坏势必造成河水流量季节分布的改变，影响区域自然水生态循环。西藏河流两岸不断恶化的荒漠化已是明证。而在这些生态脆弱敏感地区开展大型水坝工程建设，从长远来看，无论是经济、社会、生态和国家安全的角度，都是得不偿失的。
尼泊尔水电建设让原住民失去家园，因为失去土地和基本生产资料，与世界各地水电移民一样，很多人不得不迁移到城镇寻找工作和生存机会。而这些仓促而来的安置和发展，往往对居住建设难以苛求质量。于是在诸如大地震面前，抗震防灾的能力尽显贫弱。
水电移民造成的社会问题在很多地区都未能很好解决，那水电建设的目的是为了谁？以牺牲当地社区居民和生态环境为代价，让极少数水电寡头坐收好处，这已成比较普遍的现实。即使如此，“寡头们” 也应该考虑到基本的经济和灾害风险，在地质活动活跃、巨大地震多发的雅鲁藏布江流域地区是否合适建设世界最大水电工程？！
此次地震波及尼泊尔、印度、中国西藏、孟加拉国等地区。虽有地震专家和社会学者对尼泊尔发生地震研讨已久，但现有科研能力仍未及时有效预测出此次强震，以至于造成重大人员牺牲，珠穆朗玛峰登山人员也损失惨重。
在面对自然灾害面前是没有国界之分的。2000 年 4 月，中国科学家吕植、杨勇等人考察雅鲁藏布江的途中，在易贡见到一场大规模山崩造成的堰塞湖。但由于中国和下游国家缺少沟通机制，以至此堰塞湖的形成和两个月后的决口，下游国家一无所知，以至于印度数百万人遭受洪灾。
中国、尼泊尔、印度、孟加拉国应该在地质、气候变化、国际河流水文信息、跨境迁徙动物和鸟类等方面充分交流和沟通。让人类共同的命运关注超越政治和国家分歧，这些工作要比在西藏盲目开发水电，更加迫切和意义深远。
原文标题：《尼泊尔大地震为西藏水电敲响警钟》，发表于2015年4月28日荷兰在线特约专栏。

在大自然的力量面前，人类需要更多谦卑，也需要更充分的准备与协作。愿逝者安息，愿失联者早日有消息，愿所有救援人员平安。

30/08/2026

河流不分国界，风险也不分国界

02/08/2026

Green Camel Bell Participation Plan for UNCCD COP17

Date: 17–28 August 2026

Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Green Camel Bell (GCB) will actively participate in UNCCD COP17, engaging in discussions on grassland conservation, climate adaptation, renewable energy applications, community-based sustainable development, and land degradation neutrality.

GCB will share experiences from pastoral communities in Northwest China and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, including community-based conservation, renewable energy transition, ecological restoration, and sustainable livelihood development. Through COP17, GCB aims to promote global collaboration on climate resilience and sustainable development in drylands and grassland ecosystems.

1. China’s Experience in Community Engagement for Grassland Governance and Climate Change Response

Date: 19 August 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 13:15–14:45 (GMT+8)

Venue: China Pavilion (Blue Zone)

Topic:
China’s Experience in Community Engagement for Grassland Governance and Climate Change Response

Organizer:
Shanshui Conservation Center and partners

2. Renewable Energy Empowering Integrated Development of Grassland Ecosystems and Livelihoods

Date: 20 August 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 18:00–19:30 (GMT+8)

Venue: China Pavilion (Blue Zone)

Topic:
Renewable Energy Empowering Integrated Development of Grassland Ecosystems and Livelihoods

Organizer:
Chongqing Renewable Energy Society and partners

3. Renewable Energy, Carbon Management and Ecosystem Resilience

Date: 21 August 2026 (Friday, Green Practice Day)

Time: 12:00–13:30 (GMT+8)

Venue: Tsagaadai Hall (Green Zone)

Topic:
Renewable Energy, Carbon Management and Ecosystem Resilience

Organizers:
Green Camel Bell
Chongqing Renewable Energy Society
School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University
Development Bank of Mongolia
DBM Asset Management LLC
Mongolian Center for Housing Innovation and Development

4. Building Climate Resilience in Eurasian Steppes and Arid Lands: Pastoralist Knowledge and Pathways to Sustainability

Date: 23 August 2026 (Sunday, Resilience Day)

Time: 12:00–13:30 (GMT+8)

Venue: Ögedei Hall (Green Zone)

Topic:
Building Climate Resilience in Eurasian Steppes and Arid Lands: Pastoralist Knowledge and Pathways to Sustainability

Organizer:
Green Camel Bell & IYRP Chinese Communication Working Group

5. China’s Experience and Global South Application: Degraded Grassland Restoration and Land Degradation Neutrality

Date: 24 August 2026 (Monday, Finance Day)

Time: 08:30–10:00 (GMT+8)

Venue: MET-02 (Blue Zone)

Topic:
China’s Experience and Global South Application: Degraded Grassland Restoration and Land Degradation Neutrality

Organizer:
Department of Grassland Management, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, and partners

Contact: [email protected]

29/06/2026

07/04/2026

Opening Remarks by Mr. Barron Joseph Orr, UNCCD Chief Scientist, at the Webinar on Distributed Solar PV Applications for Pastoralist Communities
Director Zhong Zhao, colleagues and friends, it is a pleasure to join you today.

I warmly thank Green Camel Bell and partners for this kind invitation, and for your leadership in bringing together pastoralist voices, renewable energy innovators, and rangeland scientists in the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). Your work using distributed solar to reduce reliance on diesel and coal, improve energy access, and empower nomadic herders to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals is precisely the type of locally driven innovation the UNCCD seeks to elevate.

On the 17th of August later this year, the 17th session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties, or COP17, will take place not far from you in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Parties will build on recent decisions that formally bring rangelands and pastoralism into the heart of the Convention’s mandate and call for greater synergy between land, climate and biodiversity goals.

Rangelands now account for more than half of the Earth’s land surface and around 70 per cent of agricultural land, yet they are among the most overlooked and rapidly degrading ecosystems, with rangeland degradation threatening about one sixth of global food supply and one third of terrestrial carbon stocks.

Aligning pastoralist energy access with COP17 outcomes therefore means using renewable energy not only to cut emissions, but to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation in line with the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) response hierarchy.

The recently published IISD report “A Natural Fit” focused on renewables and sustainable land management shows that, on average, solar PV has a higher land-use intensity than fossil fuel generation, but that most of the land within solar arrays can remain available for grazing or vegetation if projects are designed as true dual-use systems. The fact that renewable energy systems are inherently scalable can be an economic boon, while posing serious environmental and social risks without responsible governance. But their land footprint can be turned from a liability into an asset when countries apply LDN, optimizing the “where” of projects relative to underlying environmental constraints and safeguarding the tenure rights of current land users.

Agrivoltaic and “rangevoltaic” approaches—co-locating PV with crops or livestock—can increase total land productivity by 35–70 per cent compared to single-use systems, mainly by reducing heat and water stress and improving yields or animal welfare.

A China case highlighted in the IISD report: A 200-megawatt agrivoltaic project on severely eroded land increased vegetation cover from about 1 per cent to 90 per cent, improved soil moisture and fertility, and now supports high-value understory crops and local employment, while supplying grid power equivalent to the needs of 100,000 households.

Another recent report published by IRENA–CREEI–IUCN on local environmental impacts of large-scale solar PV reinforces three lessons that are highly relevant for pastoralist landscapes.

First, when siting follows the LDN response hierarchy—avoiding key biodiversity areas and high-value rangeland, minimising land clearance, and restoring vegetation—solar plants need not compete with agriculture and can be preferentially placed on degraded or marginal lands, mine sites, and existing infrastructure.

Second, in arid and semi-arid settings, careful design of panel height, spacing and orientation can use microclimate effects—shade, reduced wind speed and lower evaporation—to aid vegetation recovery and even help control sand and dust storms.

Third, integrating solar with grazing (“solar grazing”) can lower fire risk, cut vegetation management costs, and increase meat or milk production, provided herders’ access and mobility are safeguarded.

From a COP17 perspective, distributed solar for pastoralists becomes a lever for three priority shifts.

First, it can avoid further degradation by reducing dependence on fuelwood and dung, easing pressure on fragile shrubs and soils.

Second, it can reduce ongoing degradation by powering solar water pumps, cold chains and local processing—improving water management, lowering post-harvest losses and increasing land-use efficiency in pastoralist agri-food systems.

Third, it can reverse degradation where agrivoltaic or ecovoltaic projects are explicitly designed as rangeland restoration investments, embedded in integrated land-use planning and backed by secure tenure and fair benefit-sharing for pastoralist communities.

Green Camel Bell’s experience—combining solar home systems, pastoralist cooperatives, and grassland stewardship—offers exactly the kind of evidence COP17 needs to see. I hope this webinar will help us distil concrete principles on nature-positive and pastoralist-positive siting, dual-use design, rights-based governance and financing for productive uses of renewable energy, so that pastoralist energy access becomes a frontline contribution to “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope” in rangelands worldwide.

“Restoring Land, Restoring Hope” is the theme Mongolia has embraced for COP17, and it is my hope you will all join us in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in August!

Today, I wish you all a successful webinar and progress in the important work you are all doing.

Thank you