The participants of the large-scale interregional event were Timur Gavaev, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kalmykia, Vyacheslav Leonov, Director of the Department of Land Policy, Property Relations and State Property of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, representatives of scientific organizations from various regions of the country, as well as foreign experts.

The main topic of discussion was the conservation of land resources, the prevention of soil degradation and the fight against desertification. These issues are particularly relevant due to climate change and the increasing burden on pasture areas in the arid regions of Russia.

According to Ksenia Scanlon, Head of the Communications, External Relations and Partnerships Department of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Journey along the Great Silk Road 2026 project is timed to coincide with the International Year of Pasture Lands and Pastoral Breeders.

"Elista is a key moment on our journey. The approaches of Kalmykia and the whole of Russia in supporting pastures and livestock farmers, as well as efforts to prevent desertification, are being discussed here," said Ksenia Scanlon.

Within the framework of the event, Evgenia Prazdnova, Head of the laboratory "Biotechnological Cluster" of the Academy of Biology and Medicine of the Ivanovo Southern Federal University, made a presentation on "Biotechnologies for the restoration of degraded soils under conditions of aridization," in which she presented the scientific approaches of the Southern Federal University to restoring soil fertility and increasing ecosystem resilience in the face of increasing climate change.

It is noteworthy that the staff of the SFedU Academy of Biology and Medicine has been actively conducting research in the Republic of Kalmykia for several years. They are aimed at restoring soil fertility and developing technologies to combat land degradation where vegetation is lacking stability. One of the key projects in this area is an experiment on the testing of artificial soils on the territory of the KalmLes nursery in the Yashkulsky district of the Republic of Kalmykia, designed to solve the problem of unproductive lands in arid (arid) territories. This is the first practical step in this area to transform the soil from a passive resource into a planned facility to increase agrobiosafety and fertility. The project is being implemented within the framework of the strategic technological project of the SFedU "Technologies of soil Bioengineering" of the federal program "Priority 2030" (national project "Youth and Children").

During the discussion, the experts also noted the importance of combining scientific research, traditional knowledge and international experience to solve global environmental problems. According to the participants of the round table, such a dialogue contributes to the development of effective approaches to the conservation of land resources and the adaptation of territories to climate change.