General Director of the Institute of Botany, MSERA, Dr., Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva, scientific secretary of the Institute, PhD, associate professor Nigar Mursal gizi, and head of the International Relations Department Elnara Orujova participated in the 3rd International Conference on "Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use in Arid lands" held in the cities of Kashgar and Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, People's Republic of China. The main theme of the conference was open science and knowledge exchange to strengthen the 30x30 Target in arid lands. The conference was organized with the joint participation Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Kashi University, China-Tajikistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use, CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance for Arid Lands (BCAA), Namangan State University of Uzbekistan, the Xinjiang Botanical Society, the Xinjiang Zoological Society and the Xinjiang Geographical Society.

The opening speech of the conference was delivered by Prof. Zhang Yuanming, Director General of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China-Tajikistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use. The opening ceremony continued with the welcoming speeches by leaders and authorized representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, People’s Republic of China; Department of Natural Ecology Protection; UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia; Bureau of International Cooperation, CAS; Secretariat of UN CBD, Kashi University.

In the first session of the conference, titled "Open Science and Biodiversity Knowledge Sharing," which continued with plenary sessions and session speeches, Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva and Associate Professor Nigar Mursal made two presentations on the results of vegetation monitoring in arid areas of Azerbaijan. Questions from scientists from various countries (Italy, Georgia, Pakistan, China, etc.) regarding the presentations were answered and proposals for future cooperation were put forward.

At the closing ceremony of the conference, Director General of the Institute of Botany, Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva, was awarded the membership award of BCAA.

A campus tour of Kashi University was organized as part of the conference. A visit was made to the experimental field under the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Urumqi, and information was provided about the work carried out there and the collections. An expedition was organized with the participation of scientists from various countries to learn about research on desert vegetation.