Arid Lands: Sustainability of Nature and Society

The International Scientific Conference “Arid Lands: Sustainability of Nature and Society” devoted to the urgent problems of sustainable development of arid territories in the central part of Eurasia was held on April 11-12th, 2018 in al-FarabiKazNU, jointly with Oxford University (UK) and the National Committee of UNESCO’s “Man and the Biosphere”. This demonstrates the interest of the international scientific community in addressing the global problem under consideration humanity, and gives the meeting a special status in the adoption of responsible science-based decisions in practice. 100 scientists, teachers, students and undergraduates from all over the world took part in the conference and presented their reports. The most relevant aspects of sustainable development of arid areas in the central part of Eurasia, including climate sustainability, desertification, biodiversity conservation, nature conservation areas, remote sensing, spatial analysis, land degradation, water resources, technosphere and tourism were discussed at plenary and three section sessions. The aggravation of these problems is indicated by modern global trends in the field of nature management, climate change and ecology. Particular attention was also paid to the study of issues related to the past and present of the Great Silk Road in the field of history, archeology, the world cultural and natural heritage, cross-border problems, development corridors and cooperation in Asia and beyond. In general, the conference participants noted the high level of the reports presented and expressed their readiness to initiate future international projects on the study of the arid territories of Central Eurasia.