http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2024/1211/c95952-20252643.html

Lu Qi, chief scientist at the China Academy of Forestry and director of the Sanbei Project Research Institute, has won the “Grand Earth Prize,” a global award in the field of ecological and environmental protection, becoming the first Chinese person to win the “Science and Technology Innovation” category of the award.

Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), highly praised Lu’s contributions to combating desertification around the world. “Lu has proven in practice that the combination of science and policy can help humanity solve the problem of land degradation, help local communities adapt to climate change, and build a more beautiful future for millions of people,” he said.

China is one of the countries with the most serious desertification problems. Through the implementation of several key projects, such as the construction of the “Three Norths” (Northwest, North China, Northeast) shelterbelts, 53% of China’s controllable desertified land has been effectively managed, and the area of ​​desertified land has been reduced by about 4.33 million hectares, showing a favorable trend of “overall improvement and accelerating improvement.” In addition, the country has extensively implemented technological development and international cooperation, and promoted the global launch of China’s solutions for desertification control.

During his more than 30-year career, Lu has devoted himself to China’s desertification control work, halting land degradation and contributing to the reduction of desertified land area. He has played an important role in implementing the world’s largest afforestation project, building a desert ecological research network partnership, and promoting multilateral cooperation to curb desertification, land degradation, and drought.