Silk Road Caravan sets out across Eurasia to champion rangelands and pastoralist

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) launched the Silk Road Caravan in Türkiye on May 13, 2026, kicking off a journey across Eurasian countries to spotlight rangelands and pastoralist communities on the road from the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar in August 2026.  Supporting the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, the initiative will highlight the vital role of rangelands in sustaining food and water security, climate stability and economic resilience. It will also champion pastoralism as one of the most sustainable, yet underappreciated, livelihoods — especially in drylands, which make up most of the world’s rangelands and are among the most vulnerable to land degradation.  Following the historic Silk Road, the caravan will bring together pastoralists from various countries, alongside filmmakers and experts, on a unique storytelling journey. Travelling across steppes, deserts, and highland pastures, they will engage with local communities to document solutions rooted in both traditional knowledge and the latest science/ 
“Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support billions of people, yet in some regions are disappearing faster than rainforests. The Silk Road Caravan brings these landscapes and their stewards to the forefront of global attention, as we move from UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar with a shared responsibility to restore land, build drought resilience and secure our common future,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad during the launch ceremony in Antalya, Türkiye, alongside representatives of pastoralist communities, participating countries and partners.