IIASA and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will convene a side event at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to officially launch a new report, Restoring Land, Securing Futures: Carbon Farming in Greater Central Asia, and discuss pathways for translating its findings into policy, investment, and action.
As co-organizer and co-host of the event, IIASA will contribute research expertise and perspectives throughout the program. Michael Obersteiner, Principal Research Scholar in the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program and Director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, will present the report’s key findings. IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program Director, Elena Rovenskaya, will chair a discussion on moving from research findings to national and regional action, while Pradeep Monga, IIASA Senior Advisor and Emeritus Research Scholar, will moderate the opening session. Rovenskaya and Obersteiner will also contribute to the event’s closing discussion alongside UNCCD representatives.
The hybrid side event will bring together policymakers, researchers, development partners, climate finance institutions, carbon market actors, and practitioners to explore the opportunities, risks, and enabling conditions for scaling carbon farming and land restoration across Greater Central Asia. Discussions will focus on national and regional perspectives, practical financing pathways and investment opportunities, and concrete next steps towards regional cooperation and implementation.
Visit the event website for further information and the link for virtual participation
About the report
The report assesses opportunities for carbon farming in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, where land degradation and climate change are placing growing pressure on dryland landscapes and agricultural systems. It finds that carbon farming could help mobilize investment for climate mitigation while supporting land restoration, healthier soils, more resilient pastures, improved water management, and rural livelihoods.
The analysis highlights a range of approaches, from conservation agriculture and agroforestry to improved grazing and restoration of degraded land, while stressing the need for locally appropriate solutions, credible monitoring, and financing models that combine carbon revenues with other sources of investment.
Upcoming Events
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and online
UNCCD COP17 side event: Restoring Land, Securing Futures – Carbon Farming in Greater Central Asia
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