From September 18 to 22, 2024, the Central Asian Geoscience Forum 2024 was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. More than 100 experts and scholars from China, Tajikistan, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan participated in the forum, exchanging and discussing research outcomes in areas such as Central Asian climate change, mineral resources, and natural disasters. Distinguished attendees included Professor Khushvatzoda Kabilchon Khushvakht, President of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan; Qurbanzoda Isojan, Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies; Khudobakhsh Sharifa, Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources; Faizullozoda Nusratullo, Chairman of the Committee for Construction and Architecture; Oimuhammadzoda Ilhomjon, Director of the Geological Survey; Aminzoda Pulod, Director of the Institute of Geology, Earthquake Engineering, and Seismology; and Ma Zhongping, Secretary-General of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Geosciences Cooperation Research Center. They delivered keynote speeches at the event. Dr. Murodov Davlatkhudzha, a postdoctoral researcher at Lanzhou University, served as the forum's Vice Chair, with Lanzhou University as a primary co-organizer.
Professor Li Yu, Dean of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Professor Wang Xin, Associate Dean, Professor Yang Xiaoyan, Director of the Key Research Base of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, Professors An Chengbang and Yang Shengli, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ding Guoqiang, and Dr. Wang Mi participated in the forum. They also organized a sub-forum on "Multiscale Climate and Environmental Changes along the Silk Road," presenting oral reports on loess deposition, climate change, and the evolution of civilization along the Silk Road. Their contributions showcased the latest advancements in geographic research at Lanzhou University and received high praise from international peers.
During the forum, the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences engaged in in-depth discussions with the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, the Institute of Geology, Earthquake Engineering, and Seismology, and the University of Central Asia. The discussions focused on scientific research, field station construction, joint field internships, and student exchange programs, leading to preliminary cooperation agreements. Both parties expressed the desire to build a high-quality platform for scientific and educational collaboration around climate change and sustainable development along the Silk Road, contributing to the development of a "Green Silk Road."
After the conference, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ding Guoqiang, Dr. Wang Mi, and doctoral students Chen Ruijin and Shi Jiheng conducted joint scientific fieldwork with Tajik collaborators, collecting valuable samples such as loess and lake sediments. They also outlined future research plans, aiming to produce internationally leading results in the fields of arid climate change and Silk Road civilization evolution.
(Report and photos by Ding Guoqiang and Wang Mi)
