The 2021 Desertification and Drought Day is coming up on 17 June, and its theme is “Restoration.Land.Recovery: We build back better with healthy land.”
On this occasion, the Desertification Research Centre of the University of Sassari (Operational Secretariat of DesertNet International) organizes two online webinar sessions on ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐.
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ (
10:00 CEST, 
Italian) – Various representatives of institutions and experts will take stock of the reclamation of Italian industrial and mining areas, in light of the results of research works that demonstrate the feasibility of targeted, widespread and low-cost interventions. Among these, the Rizobiorem project will be illustrated: through a transdisciplinary approach, Rizobiorem aims to develop new protocols for the sustainable management of contaminated soils that are environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and economically feasible, thus restoring the ecosystem services of areas that are now completely degraded. To participate in the morning session, follow this Zoom link.
๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ 
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐โ (14:00 CEST, in 
English) – This session will bring together a panel of international experts to discuss the potential contribution of scientific communities to land restoration and โgreen recoveryโ. Experts will illustrate examples of interdisciplinary and international scientific cooperation and research actions aimed at responding to global challenges: climate change, water and food insecurity, poverty, conflicts, forced migration. Among these, panellists will illustrate the Great Green Wall Initiative, the 8000-km-long green wall that crosses Africaโs Sahel region, representing a symbol of the global fight against environmental degradation; the EWA-BELT project, linking East and West African farming systems into a belt of sustainable intensification ; the International PhD on Desertification and Land Degradation, which promotes the exchange of experiences among young researchers from the University of Sassari (Italy), two Universities in Burkina Faso and a University in Ethiopia. To participate in the afternoon session, follow this Zoom link.
The live web will be broadcast on the University of Sassari’s YouTube channel (unisstube) and on the facebook page @desertnetinternational.