Route

Carrying forward the momentum of COP16 in Riyadh, the Caravan highlights drought resilience and restoration across arid rangelands shaped by wells and oases.

At a Silk Road crossroads, Jordan reflects the Caravan’s focus on rangeland resilience through sustainable grazing and watershed protection in wadis and desert margins where every drop and blade of grass matters.

Building on the UNCCD COP12 legacy, the Caravan links Anatolian routes with high pastures and practical rangeland restoration that protects soils, water and pastoral livelihoods.

Across Kalmykia, Dagestan and Astrakhan, the Caravan follows Caspian-facing drylands, highlighting restoration, monitoring and resilient grazing solutions for rangelands and semi-desert landscapes.

Anchored in Samarkand – a historic Silk Road centre and host of the first UNCCD high-level meeting in Central Asia – Uzbekistan opens a gateway to action on dust risk, salinity, water management and dryland livelihoods.

Across immense horizons, Kazakhstan invites the Caravan into vast grazing landscapes where restoration initiatives support drought resilience, habitat connectivity and livelihoods, and where saiga roam across open country.

In the high mountains, Kyrgyzstan brings science and herder experience together on pasture governance, climate adaptation and nature-based restoration that keeps summer grazing lands productive.

From Ordos, the host city of UNCCD COP13, the Caravan follows a restoration corridor centered around grassland recovery, drought resilience and practical knowledge exchange, culminating in a relay toward Mongolia.

The 6,000 kilometer journey culminates in Mongolia, where UNCCD COP17 gathers under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope” and the world’s attention turns to rangelands, pastoralists and investment-ready action.