“Combating Desertification: A Green Future” international scientific conference was initiated by Oyu Tolgoi in 2024 as part of its “100 million Trees for the Future” programme. Now in its second year, the conference was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Governor’s Office of Umnugovi province. This year’s event was held on 3 October 2025 in Dalanzadgad, Umnugovi province, co-hosted by the Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Institute of Geography and Geoecology of Mongolian Academy of Science.
The conference was opened with remarks by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change B.Batbaatar, Member of Parliament R. Seddorj, Member of Parliament L. Munkhbayasgalan, Governor of Umnugovi Province N. Enkhbat, and General Manager for Health, Safety, Environment, Security and Communities at Oyu Tolgoi Philip Abraham. This event served as a significant platform for seeking practical solutions to combat desertification in anticipation of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be hosted by Mongolia in 2026.
More than 200 delegates from Mongolia, Australia, China, Japan, and France participated in the conference, engaging in extensive discussions on desertification, land degradation, sustainable water resource use, restoration, and climate change adaptation solutions.
Across the main and breakout sessions, a total of 27 presentations were delivered, featuring the latest research findings and solutions from both domestic and international scientists. Topics included the scientific basis of desertification processes, engineering solutions for water resources, satellite and AI-based monitoring methodologies, sustainable pasture management, and technologies for reducing climate change risks.
As part of the conference, representatives from various organisations took part in the “Unlocking Opportunities” meeting and the “Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality” training sessions. These discussions focused on future collaboration to combat desertification, land degradation, and climate change, and on strengthening international cooperation. Additionally, booths and exhibitions of companies, and more than 40 poster presentations were displayed, allowing participants to exchange experiences and enhance partnerships.
As part of its “100 Million Trees for the Future” programme, Oyu Tolgoi aims to establish this international scientific conference as an annual event, creating a long-term collaborative platform for professional organisations and researchers to validate their hypotheses and share solutions to reduce desertification. This initiative is part of the company’s long-term commitment to protecting our Planet. Within the framework of the national “Billion Trees” movement and its “100 Million Trees for the Future” program launched in 2022, Oyu Tolgoi has so far planted a total of 3.1 million trees and implemented investments and projects equivalent to 18.3 million trees, achieving a combined result of 21.4 million trees.
Oyu Tolgoi has begun land rehabilitation work on 600 hectares around the Tsagaan Zurin River in Khuder soum, Selenge province. This is the continuation of the reforestation initiative carried out in 2024 on 400 hectares of land degraded by wildfire in Bait Mountain, Altanbulag soum, Selenge province, where 1 million trees were planted by Oyu Tolgoi.
Over the next two years, Oyu Tolgoi will complete the rehabilitation of all areas in Selenge province that have been degraded and abandoned due to irresponsible mining operations. This means that no land in Selenge will be left degraded as a result of such activities.
For detailed information about the conference, abstracts, and poster displays, please visit https://gobilegacy.mn/.