The Thematic Conference on Practical Geography in the XXI Century convenes in Moscow

Moscow, Russia – More than 600 scientists from all over the world attended the Thematic Conference that commemorates the centennial of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science to discuss land issues, climate change, urban transformation and the “One Belt – One Road” initiative.

The session on land-based solutions in a changing environment featured the concept of land degradation neutrality (LDN) and its implementation in Central and Eastern Europe. The discussions also included state-of-the-art land cover analysis, research on the changes in organic carbon associated with 60 million hectares of abandoned land in the region and the debate over the potential correlation between migration and drought.

One of the highlights of the Conference is the launch of the Science and Technology Center to Combat Desertification and Drought, named after the late Nikita Glazovskiy, one of the most influential environmental researchers of our time. The main mission of the Center is to provide scientific and methodological support for the implementation of national commitments of the Russian Federation to the UNCCD.  The Center is expected to broaden the scope of its work to include collaboration with other national and regional research institutions. 

The outcomes of the Conference will have a direct relevance to the mission of UNCCD and the opening of the center will facilitate moving the research on addressing land degradation into action. 

Learn more:

• Achieving land degradation neutrality
• Land and human security