During 20 July - 2 August 2024, the “Training Workshop on Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring and Assessment for BRI African Countries” was organized by UNEP-IEMP and Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of  Sciences, with financial support from the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

It brought more than 20 participants from 5 countries in Africa to participate in the 2-week long training event. It covered the topics of monitoring and assessing ecological restoration of forests, grasslands, croplands and drylands in Africa and China through a combination of lectures on state-of-the-art progress, field trips, and round-table discussions on current ecological restoration policies, efforts and challenges. 

Opening ceremony of the training workshop

During the visits to partner organizations like SuperMap GIS Co., Ltd., China Foundation for Rural Development, Yucheng Integrated Agricultural Experimental Station, there were more hands-on experiences shared and in-depth exchanges in relation to the African context. 

Field trip to Yucheng Ecological Station in Shandong Province

Through these interactive events, attendees have gained valuable insights on the principles, methodologies, practices and challenges inherent in ecological monitoring and restoration efforts. This mutual learning workshop allowed both the participants and expert team to build mutual understanding and explore further cooperation. Some of the potential areas for joint efforts include big-data based ecosystem assessment and its user-friendly tool demo, AI-supported biodiversity monitoring, mining areas re-habitation, climate-smart agriculture, develop agriculture products under Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability (GIES) branding, lake ecosystem monitoring.

During this workshop, UNEP-IEMP team shared its global, regional and national level experiences on promoting nexus approach in address challenges like climate changes, ecosystem degradation and unsustainable livelihoods. In particular, UNEP-IEMP`s efforts in different African countries and bamboo restoration and utilization work in Kenya were discussed for expanding such cooperation.