Silk Road Caravan

Connecting rangelands and pastoralists on the road from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar

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The Silk Road Caravan is a landmark journey across one of the world’s historic corridors of exchange, symbolically connecting nations from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar in the year of UNCCD COP17 and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Moving through countries connected for centuries by long-distance trade, flow of ideas and intermingling of cultures, the journey shines a light on rangelands — vast landscapes that sustain livelihoods, biodiversity and food systems yet remain largely overlooked

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The Silk Road

For centuries, the Silk Road was more than a trade route. It was a pathway of exchange, carrying knowledge, culture, technologies and ideas across Eurasia. Caravans connected distant regions, stopping at cities and landscapes shaped by movement, dialogue and adaptation. Today, these same regions face shared challenges linked to land degradation, climate change and livelihoods. Following the fabled Silk Road, the journey will reconnect places historically linked together, using an iconic symbol to tell stories of land, resilience and cooperation

UNESCO Silk Roads Programme

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Rangelands and 
pastoralists

Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, particularly pastoralists and dryland communities. These landscapes provide food, water regulation, biodiversity and cultural heritage, yet they are among the most undervalued and increasingly degraded ecosystems.

Pastoralist communities hold deep knowledge of managing land under harsh and changing conditions. This journey places rangelands and their stewards at the center, showcasing restoration efforts and lived experience across regions where land health and livelihoods are inseparable.

More about Rangelands and Pastoralists International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

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The Journey

Along the way, the Caravan will document land restoration efforts, pastoralist knowledge and local solutions, showcasing approaches to restoration that can be exchanged across diverse rangeland landscapes.

Building on outcomes from UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, the journey is also a visual storytelling project, accompanied by a film crew to capture stories and visuals that connect global audiences to land, landscapes and hope.

Wildlife photography

Stories from the Road

From Riyadh
to Ulaanbaatar

With UNCCD COP17 hosted by Mongolia in August 2026 under the theme Restoring Land. Restoring Hope, the year offers a unique opportunity to bring stories, policy attention and on the-ground progress closer together.

Building on outcomes from UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, the Silk Road Caravan contributes to this moment by giving rangelands global visibility, capturing the lives and experiences of rangeland communities and showcasing successes and proven approaches.

About UNCCD COP17  About UNCCD COP16