12月2-13日，联合国防治荒漠化公约第 16 次缔约方大会（UNCCD COP 16）在沙特阿拉伯首都利雅得隆重召开。12月7日，北京林业大学草业与草原学院携手世界自然保护联盟生态系统管理委员会（IUCN-CEM）、大自然保护协会以及中国草学会，共同举办了一场以“恢复干旱地区退化草地以防治荒漠化”为主题的边会。
国家林业和草原局副局长唐芳林出席边会，会见世界自然保护联盟（IUCN）总干事格雷特·阿吉拉（Grethel Aguilar），并致开幕辞。世界自然保护联盟副总干事斯图尔特·马吉尼斯（Stewart Maginnis）致开幕辞。国家林业和草原局国际合作司副司长刘昕、草原管理司副司长杨智等参加边会。世界自然保护联盟生态系统管理委员会（IUCN-CEM）东北亚地区主席、北京林业大学草业与草原学院董世魁教授担任边会主席并主持会议。
唐芳林在致辞中指出，中国作为最早加入《联合国防治荒漠化公约》的国家之一，今年恰逢中国签署该《公约》30 周年的重要历史节点。一直以来，中国政府将荒漠化综合防治及“三北”等重点生态工程建设列为重点工作，通过持续探索与实践，成功开辟出一条独具中国特色的防沙治沙之路，取得了举世瞩目的辉煌成就。数据显示，已有 53％的可治理沙化土地得到了切实有效的治理，成功实现了生态保护与民生改善相互促进的良性循环。中国作为全球草原资源最为丰富的国家，同时也面临草原退化的突出问题，中国政府始终高度重视退化草原的恢复治理工作，积极实施退牧还草、草畜平衡、草原生态奖补等一系列强有力的政策措施，成功遏制了草原退化的严峻态势。通过不断实践探索，逐步形成了一整套系统完备、切实可行的模式、方法和经验。有充分的理由相信，在不久的将来，中国的草原退化问题必将得到彻底根治。
斯图尔特·马吉尼斯在致辞中也高度评价了中国在荒漠化防治领域的贡献。他表示，中国一直是 IUCN 的重要合作伙伴，双方在生物多样性保护、气候变化应对以及荒漠化防治等多方面展开了广泛而深入的合作。中国在荒漠化治理方面所取得的成就举世公认，荒漠化地区的经济社会发展与生态环境面貌发生了翻天覆地的变化，中国已然成为全球增绿贡献最为突出的国家和防沙治沙的国际典范，为全球防沙治沙进程注入了强大动力并作出了卓越贡献。展望未来，IUCN 将进一步强化与中国的多维度合作，积极推动中国防沙治沙经验在全球南方国家的分享与传播，积极助力联合国可持续发展目标的顺利实现。
边会主席董世魁在主持大会中深入阐述道，全球约 40%的陆地被广袤的草地所覆盖，其中 70%的草地分布于干旱地区。这些草地承担着极为重要的生态系统服务功能，涵盖食物生产、水资源供给与精准调控、碳储存及气候调节、传粉以及丰富多样的文化服务等多个方面。然而，当前草地退化问题在全球范围内呈现出日益加剧的严峻态势。据统计，全球近一半的草地已出现不同程度的退化现象，这无疑给生态系统服务功能的正常发挥以及人类福祉的保障带来了极为重大的挑战。董世魁特别强调，恢复退化草地、解决草地荒漠化问题已然成为实现《联合国防治荒漠化公约》、《生物多样性公约》、《气候变化公约》以及《联合国可持续发展目标》等多个重要目标的关键举措与必由之路。
国家林业和草原局草原管理司副司长杨智在会上做了题为“中国三北地区退化草原生态修复”的主旨报告，全面介绍了中国草原资源与生态概况、草原保护修复制度政策、草原生态修复模式案例，重点讲解了三北地区退化草原生态修复的新要求、新政策、新技术。国际自然保护联盟东欧和中亚地区区域办公室（ECARO）基于自然的解决方案项目主管蒂莫菲娅·柳波芙（Timofeeva Liubov）、青海师范大学生命科学学院关晋宏副教授、宁夏远声绿阳林草生态工程有限公司脱向银总经理，分别围绕“基于自然的退化草地生态恢复”、“三江源区生态保护与建设工程及其生态效益分析”、“中国宁夏干旱退化草地恢复与荒漠化防治工程实践”等主题作了精彩的专题报告，从不同专业视角深入探讨了退化草地修复的重要性以及相关的有效解决方案。
会议还特别邀请了国际干旱地区农业研究中心（ICARDA）草地与牧场项目主管蒙尼尔·卢海齐（Mounir Louhaichi）、世界自然保护联盟亚洲地区办公室林地和干旱区域协调员萨特里奥·阿迪·维卡克索诺（Satrio Adi Wicaksono）、大自然保护协会内蒙古项目经理莎日盖（Sargai Sha）、农业经济和生态领域独立顾问乔纳森·戴维斯（Jonathan Davies）共同参与圆桌讨论。各位嘉宾齐聚一堂，深入交流分享了全球退化草地生态恢复过程中所面临的挑战与宝贵经验。
最后，边会主席董世魁对本次活动进行了全面总结。他认为，本次边会取得了圆满成功，吸引了众多专家学者、非政府组织、企业以及各界人士积极参与讨论，共同聚焦全球干旱区草地生态系统的可持续发展这一重大议题。与此同时，他着重强调全球草地退化问题依然形势严峻，亟待各方给予高度重视，呼吁大家如同关注人类自身健康一般关注草地健康。他倡导积极响应世界卫生组织（WHO）提出的“One Health”（同一个健康）理念，创新性地提出“One Grassland”（同一个草地）理念，旨在凝聚各方力量加强草地保护与恢复工作，携手推动全球草地的可持续发展。以“One Grassland，One Earth”（同一片草地、同一个地球）的实际行动，切实践行 UNCCD COP 16 的大会主题“Our Land，Our Future”（我们的土地，我们的未来）。
此次边会的成功举办， 不仅彰显了北京林业大学草原与草业学院在全球草地生态治理领域的学术影响力，而且向世界展示了中国在退化草地治理、荒漠化防治以及三北工程生态建设等方面的成功经验。此次会议通过深入探讨和分享中国的经验与成果，为全球草地可持续发展提供了宝贵的参考，并倡导了“One Grassland”（同一个草地）理念，强调了草地健康对地球未来的重要性，体现了中国在全球环境治理中的积极作用与卓越贡献。最后附上董世魁教授在此次边会中的汇报内容和致辞。
Esteem leaders, distinguished guests, dear friends and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, goodafternoon!
As amoderator andchair, I would like to express my best regards to all of you for attending our side event“Restoring degraded grasslands to combat desertification in dry areas” co-organized by IUCN-CEM, School of Grassland Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, The Nature Conservancy, and China Grassland Society. Today, ware gatheringhere at UNCCD COP 16 to talk about the hot issue: Restoring degraded grasslandsworldwide.
As a IUCN-CEM regional chair of Northeast Asia, I would like to take this good opportunity to briefly introduce IUCN-CEMto you on behalf of our Chair, Ms.Angela ANDRADE. Commission on Ecosystem Management is one of six commissions of IUCN. CEM’sMissionis to develop and shareexpert guidance on ecosystem-based approaches to management and sustainable use of natural and modified ecosystems to achieve biodiversity conservation, address climate change impacts, contribute to human well-being and promote sustainable development. CEM’s works aim to: 1) create knowledge products: risk assessment, management, restoration, and sustainable use of ecosystems as a contribution to the development of Nature-based Solutions; 2) provide advice, guidance and tools will to indigenous peoples and local communities to empower their management, restoration and sustainable use of ecosystems to meet local needs and foster their well-being;3) develop science-based advice and guidance: policy makers and implementing authorities from local to global levels. You are warmly welcome to join IUCN-CEM and collaborate with us.
Ok. For today’s side event“Restoring degraded grasslands to combat desertification in dry areas”, I would love to address some issues.Grasslands,cover about 40% of the Earth’sland territory and70% of the Earth’s agricultural land area (mostly in dry regions), provide not onlya wide range of ecosystem services, such as food production, water supply and regulation, carbon storage and climate mitigation, pollination and a host of cultural services,but also a wide range of material and non-material benefits to humans. Despite the importance of grasslands,thedegradationof grasslandsis widespread and acceleratingacross the world, withnearly 50% ofglobalgrasslands having been degraded, resulting in the tremendous ecosystem services for human well-beings. Thedegradationof the grasslandsalso creates major environmental problems,suchasland desertification,biodiversityloss and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission.
Mitigation ofgrassland degradation must be addressed to achieve the multipletargets ofUN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) and the United Nation’sSustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Combating degradationof the worldwide grasslandsis also central to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), which puts a firm focus on the urgent need for restoration strategies for degradedgrasslandecosystems.
UNCCD’s COP16 is an ideal platformforworldwide collaboration and co-action torestore the degraded grasslands for combating the land desertification in dry areas. Thisside eventwillcovera series ofkeynote speech andshort talks, followed byround-tablediscussion, highlighting theimportance to learn lessons, to share experiences and to hear the voices from theglobalgrassland community.Government representatives, scientists and educators, civil society and private sectors are invited tothis side event to talk, todiscussand to motivatetheaccelerated, coordinated action and investment in grassland restoration.
It is my privilege to introduce esteemed guests, distinguished speakers and panelists to You. Dr. Fangling TANG, Vice Administrator, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China; Mr.Stewart MAGINNIS, IUCN’s Deputy Director General; Mr. Zhi YANG, Deputy Director General, Department of Grassland Management, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China; Ms. Timofeeva LIUBOV,Nature-based Solutions Project Officer,IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO); Dr. Jinghong GUAN, Associate Professor, College of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University; Mr. Xiangyin TUO, Ningxia Yuan Sheng LV Yang Forest and Grassland Ecological Engineering Co., Ltd.; MrMounir LOUHAICHI, Thematic Research Leader,Rangeland Ecology and Forages, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA);Satrio Adi WICAKSONO, Regional Coordinator for Forest and Drylands, IUCN Asia Regional Office; Sargai SHA, Inner Mongolia Conservation Manager, The Nature Conservancy; Jonathan DAVIES, Independent Consultant, Agricultural Economics & Ecology. Thank you very much for your great contribution today.
First, I am honored to invite our esteemed guest, Dr. Fangling TANG, Vice Administrator, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China to give an opening speech for this side event.
Next, I am glad to invite Mr.Stewart MAGINNIS, IUCN’s Deputy Director General to give a welcome speech.
Now, I would like to invite Mr. Zhi YANG, Deputy Director General, Department of Grassland Management, National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China to give a keynote speech on“Ecological Restoration of Degraded Grasslands in the Three-North Regions of China”
Next, I would love to invite Ms. Timofeeva LIUBOV,Nature-based Solutions Project Officer,IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) to deliver another keynote speech on Nature Based Solution to Ecosystem Restoration.
Now, I would like to invite Dr. Jinghong GUAN, Associate Professor, College of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University to give a talk on case study from alpine grassland, Sanjiangyuan Grassland of Qinghai Province, China.
Lastly, I would love to invite Mr. Xiangyin TUO, Ningxia Yuan Sheng LV Yang Forest and Grassland Ecological Engineering Co., Ltd to give a talk about case study from semi-arid grassland in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China.
In our second session, I am delighted to invite four panelists, MrMounir LOUHAICHI, Thematic Research Leader,Rangeland Ecology and Forages, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA),Satrio Adi WICAKSONO, Regional Coordinator for Forest and Drylands, IUCN Asia Regional Office; Sargai SHA, Inner Mongolia Conservation Manager, The Nature Conservancy; Jonathan DAVIES, Independent Consultant, Agricultural Economics & Ecology to sit on the stage to begin our round table discussion.
First, I would love to share some information and post the questions for the panelists. They are: What actions are needed to combat desertification through grassland restoration? Why/how will they work? To what extent are these actions applicable?
Can these restoration actions (which ones?) be improved in the light of more current knowledge? How can the best practice of grassland restoration be done? Are there successful restoration stories be upscaled to the global scale?
The panelists can choose one or two of these questions to present your answers or you can post your own questions and raise broad discussion. Ok. Let’s start.
At the end of this side event, I would love to make brief summary. Indeed, this side event is very successful due to the wonderful talks and discussions presented by speakers and panelists, a well as audiences’ questions and comments. I’ll not repeat all of them again. Here, I would love to call you attention to care about the grasslands.Despite the extraordinary importance of grassland as I stressed at the beginning of this side event,the sustainability of the different grasslands worldwide including Steppe in Eurasia, Prairie in North America, Pampas in South America, Sanvanna in Eastern Africa and Australia, Veld in South Africa and many more other types of global grasslands, is being threatened by the ongoing global changes, particularly climate change. As key drivers, global changes have significantly impacted the functions and processes of grassland ecosystems, resulting in widespread degradation in many parts of the world, with nearly half of total grassland area in the world degraded at present. Grassland degradation may cause enormous risks to the hundreds of millions of people who live on grasslands for food, fuel, fibre and medicinal products, in addition to cultural values. Furthermore, grassland degradation may create tremendous environmental problems, such as water and soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emission.This critical situation is challenging professionals and practitioners worldwide to think about the future sustainability of the grasslands worldwide. As we know, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advocating the concept of “One Health”, which is addressing the overall health of human beings, living creatures and ecosystems on the earth planet. Today, I world like to propose a term “One Grassland” to highlight the importance of promoting the sustainability of grasslands worldwide in the era of global changes. “One grassland, One earth
同一片草地，同一个地球”;“Our land, our future我们的土地，我们的未来”.
The academia, policymakers and practitioners should acknowledge the necessities of effective collaborations among key stakeholders across the worlds, as well as a better understanding of the influence of differing scales of biological organization. I hope thisside eventwill be a big success and the beginning of many long-term collaborations.
Thank you.
