12/5 IPDRE holds a side event at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
On December 5, 2024, as a part of the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD: an international agreement aimed at preventing land degradation), a side event titled "Strengthening the Global Knowledge Hub for Evidence-Based Sustainable Land Management (SLM)" was held. Co-organized by Tottori University’s Arid Land Research Center (ALRC, also known as IPDRE), WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies)*1, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the event attracted around 48 participants, nearly filling the available seating capacity.
(Program Overview)
●Opening Remarks: Mr. Kazutaka Kawahara, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia
●Presentations by:
Dr. Camilla Steinböck (Research Scientist, WOCAT / CDE, University of Bern)
Dr. Akmal Akramkhanov (Research Team Leader, M&E, WOCAT / ICARDA)
Mr. Ichiro Mimura (Deputy Director, Global Environment Department, JICA)
Dr. Teshome Tamirat (NFS for UNCCD, Ethiopian Forestry Development, Ethiopia)
Prof. Nigussie Haregeweyn (Unit Leader, Innovation and DX Unit, IPDRE, Tottori University, Japan)
●Panel Discussion (Chair: Prof. Nigussie Haregeweyn):
Panelists:
Dr. Tatenda Lemann (WOCAT / University of Bern)
Dr. Teshome Tamirat
Dr. Akmal Akramkhanov
Mr. Ichiro Mimura (JICA)
Prof. Atsushi Tsunekawa (IPDRE, Tottori University)
Dr. Vinay Nangia (ICARDA / IPDRE, Tottori University)
●Event Highlights
The event reviewed the SLM technologies and approaches that WOCAT has accumulated and shared worldwide, discussing the current state of these efforts as well as future challenges. A case study from JICA’s SATREPS project in Ethiopia, led by Tottori University, was introduced to underscore the importance of evidence-based SLM and the need for database development and knowledge sharing to further enhance effective SLM implementation.
Participants emphasized that achieving evidence-based SLM practices requires diverse stakeholders—spanning science, policy, and on-the-ground practitioners—to pool their knowledge and share a common vision. In addition, the panel discussion highlighted the prospects for expanding knowledge hubs aimed at integrating science, policy, and development, in line with the international target of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) set forth by the UNCCD. Lively exchanges took place on how to effectively advance these efforts.
*1 WOCAT is an international platform dedicated to collecting and sharing information on land management technologies and approaches implemented around the world.
