The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG, CAS), was established on July 7, 1998, through the merger of the Xinjiang Institute of Biology, Pedology, and Desert Research (founded in 1961) and the Xinjiang Institute of Geography (founded in 1965).
XIEG, CAS focuses on the international scientific frontiers in arid-zone ecology and environmental sciences, addressing the strategic demands of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and contributing to the long-term stability and development of Xinjiang. It innovates theories and methodologies in arid-zone sciences, concentrating on critical issues such as natural resource utilization, ecological restoration, environmental management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable regional development in arid zones. XIEG, CAS plays a pivotal and leading role in ecological and environmental research in Central Asia's arid regions.
XIEG, CAS hosts multiple international cooperation platforms, including the Ministry of Science and Technology's International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Ecological Construction under the BRI, the Pan-African Green Great Wall Research Center, the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions on Association for Combating Desertification (ANSO-ACD), and the West Africa Office under the China-Africa Joint Research Center.
Over the past decade, XIEG, CAS has collaborated extensively with countries involved in the “African Green Great Wall” initiative, including Mauritania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pan-African Green Great Wall Organization Secretariat, jointly established the Pan-African Green Great Wall Joint Research Center and the BRI International Scientific Organization for Desertification Control’s African Green Great Wall Zone. XIEG, CAS has also co-organized two technical training sessions on the African Green Great Wall construction and led scientific expeditions and demonstration studies in key areas of the initiative.
Through collaboration and exchange, XIEG, CAS has co-trained six PhD and master’s students, provided technical and managerial training to over 100 professionals from Africa, and jointly published more than 30 papers in leading journals such as *Geomorphology*. In Mauritania, XIEG, CAS has established a China-Africa Green Technology Park and a mobile sand fixation demonstration site. In Nigeria and Ethiopia, experimental demonstration bases for optimized farmland shelterbelts and shrubland restoration have been developed.
These efforts have led to important outcomes, including the proposal of the “Two Zones and Three Belts” sand control system for the Mauritanian capital region, the “Community-Based Sand Control” model in Kano State, Nigeria, and the “Clear Shrubs, Cultivate Grass, Rotate Grazing, Combine Farming and Grazing” restoration model for degraded grasslands in low-altitude areas of Ethiopia.
The “African Green Great Wall Desertification Control Practice Cases” developed by XIEG, CAS have been recognized as exemplary cases for achieving global sustainable development goals by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. Reports such as *Preliminary Foundations and Cooperation Proposals for China’s Support to the African Green Great Wall* and *Analysis and Recommendations for Addressing Delays in the African Green Great Wall* have been adopted by China’s State Council and other relevant agencies. XIEG, CAS’s research outcomes have been widely covered by mainstream media, including CCTV, Xinhua News Agency, and China News Service.
