The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding to work with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), as well as the Beijing-based Elion Foundation, to tackle desertification through several drylands ecosystems projects.
Pilot projects are planned for dryland areas in China, Mongolia and other Central Asian countries.
5 August 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding to work with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), as well as the Beijing-based Elion Foundation, to tackle desertification through several drylands ecosystems projects. Pilot projects are planned for dryland areas in China, Mongolia and other Central Asian countries.
According to UNEP, activities will include harnessing economic opportunities from renewable energy, payment for ecosystem services projects and desert tourism, as well as investments in knowledge sharing initiatives on deserts between developing countries.
UNEP says the Elion Foundation, associated with the Elion Resources Group, is active in desert-based industries including the cultivation of plants for the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, and renewable energy. [UNEP Press Release][Elion Foundation website]