In order to learn about advanced scientific technology and ideas for combating desertification, Rezaali Pakzad left the Iranian capital Teheran, in 2018, to study in Northwest China's Gansu province.

He is a 27-year-old doctoral student at Lanzhou University, focusing on soil desertification control.

In his view, Iran, like other arid and semiarid countries, faces environmental problems such as desertification. When he did field surveys and research in Minqin county, Gansu, he found that the local desertification characteristics were very similar to those of his hometown.

"Minqin is between two deserts. From being 'about to disappear' to being gradually green, from being ravaged by 'sand devils' to being covered by vast green plants, the scientific and effective prevention and control methods of the Chinese government have greatly changed the county, and made me see the hope of improving the ecology in my hometown," he says.

He believes that China has certainly contributed to the global effort to combat desertification, and that the Chinese contribution is worth learning from. Through in-depth research in recent years, he has learned a lot about China's new technologies and new ideas for combating desertification.

China has developed advanced technology models, such as quicksand fixation and vegetation restoration, and protective forest systems along major transport routes, which have introduced more green to deserts.

Nevertheless, industries that generate benefits from the desert also made him see the possibility of harmony between people and nature.

Already among the top nations in the world in the field of combating desertification, China has shared its experience with other countries, carried out international exchanges and cooperation, and contributed to global desertification control, he says.

He believes he has made progress during his five years of living and studying in China. By learning more about the Chinese language and culture, he has adapted to life in China and enjoyed the help and sincere concern of his teachers, classmates and friends here.

He hopes to achieve a lot, at a high level, in his research field and to contribute to international exchanges and cooperation in desertification control.

"I want to be an 'ecological messenger' by spreading green ideas," he says.