In one of the world’s harshest environments, Elion Resources Group is actually greening the desert. Using an innovative public-private approach which bridges economic, social and scientific disciplines, they’ve managed to reclaim one third of the desert over the last thirty years and in the process raised over one hundred thousand people out of poverty. The Kubuqi Model is so successful that it has been singled out by the United Nations.

In June dignitaries gathered in Beijing to celebrate Elion’s 30th anniversary and to discuss the wider global application for the Kubuqi Model. Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations was on hand to celebrate and “to help other parts of the world be inspired by the example of Kubuqi.”

According to the UN’s Eco-Restoration and Wealth Creation Report on the Kubuqi Model, around 2 billion hectares of land are degraded and 60 per cent of ecosystem services are under threat from drought or desertification. This results in annual global economic losses of up to US$42 billion. So bringing the learnings and successes from the Kubuqi Desert to the world is a prime goal of Elion.