Researchers from the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna, along with representatives from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, participated in a professional development course on combating desertification held in Yinchuan, the administrative center of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. This was reported by the “Neutral Turkmenistan” newspaper.

The courses were held at the “China–Central Asia” Cooperation Center for Combating Desertification. The event received extensive coverage on Chinese national television, which featured field trips and discussions among Central Asian scientists.

During the courses, leading Chinese scientists specializing in ecology, forestry, pest control for agricultural and forest crops, the mitigation of dust and sandstorm impacts, fire prevention measures, sand stabilization, desert reclamation, and the rational use of water resources delivered thematic presentations. For their part, the Turkmen delegates shared their national experience with their Chinese counterparts and exchanged information on the latest developments as well as copies of specialized periodicals.

In particular, the international scientific and practical journal “Problems of Desert Development”, published in Ashgabat, was presented as a gift, along with national gifts and souvenirs.

The Chinese side emphasized that specialists from the PRC gained experience in desert research during the second half of the last century at the scientific centers of the Desert Research Institute in Ashgabat, as well as in China and other countries to which Chinese desert researchers were previously sent. This was mentioned in their presentations, where archival photos showed Turkmen scientists—A.G. Babayev, M.P. Petrov, and N.T. Nechaeva—conducting the first international courses on desert studies for participants from various countries, including China.

Overall, course participants highly valued the productive exchange of experience and traditions and the mutual enrichment of knowledge; they expressed interest in further cooperation specifically with Turkmenistan—the birthplace of scientific desert studies, a discipline that subsequently spread to countries where desert conditions impact economic activity. The attendees expressed confidence that significant joint scientific and practical work lies ahead in the near future.