Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — August 17, 2026 — The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) officially opened in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. As the world's largest and most influential summit dedicated to land and ecological restoration, COP17 brought together global government representatives, scientific research institutions, environmental experts, and industry leaders under the core theme: "Restoring Land, Building Hope."
During the official side event themed "Tech-Powered Frontiers and Results Transformation in Desertification Control," Ms. Hui Ma, General Manager of Qingdao SOCO New Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SOCO"), was invited to deliver a keynote speech. Representing a national high-tech enterprise, a Shandong Province "Gazelle Enterprise," and a council member unit of the China Sand Control and Sand Industry Association, her speech was titled: "Ensuring Plant Survival in Extreme Environments: SOCO SAP++ Water Retention Technology and Scenario-Based Solutions from Desertification Control to Mine Ecological Restoration."
Addressing the fundamental pain points of global ecological restoration, Ms. Ma emphasized during her address: "The core proposition of ecological governance in extreme environments is not just about 'planting,' but ensuring 'survival!'" She detailed SOCO's innovative evolution from a "single water-retention product" to a comprehensive "root-zone moisture management system" and "scenario-based ecological restoration system," drawing significant attention from the international industry.
Tackling Global Challenges: From "Surface Greening" to "Restarting the Water-Soil Cycle"
According to the latest data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, approximately 40% of the world's land is degraded, with 100 million hectares of healthy, productive land lost annually. This directly threatens the well-being of over 3.2 billion people and incurs annual economic losses as high as $878 billion. With more than half of global GDP relying on natural capital, land restoration is no longer just an environmental issue—it is a core investment critical to global sustainable development.
Facing the triple survival bottlenecks of extreme environments—precipitation-evaporation mismatch, soil structure and nutrient failure, and restricted construction in complex terrains—Ms. Ma emphasized that vegetation is far more than a simple "surface greening" measure; it is the core vehicle for restarting regional water-soil cycles. The ultimate goal of restoration is to enable vegetation, soil, and water to re-form a self-sustaining ecosystem.
Moving beyond traditional water-retention materials that focus solely on single-absorption capacity, SOCO has upgraded "water-absorbing materials" into a "Root-Zone Moisture Management System." Utilizing a hydrophilic three-dimensional network, the technology seamlessly shifts limited moisture from surface evaporation pathways to root-zone storage and slow-release pathways. This establishes a micro-reservoir regulatory space around roots, achieving precise water resource regulation—rapid absorption, root-zone retention, on-demand slow release, root expansion, and ecological self-maintenance—throughout the entire lifecycle of the plant from planting to rooting and recovery.
Scenario-Based Breakthroughs: From Desertification Control to Mine Ecological Reconstruction
Grounded in an integrated "Diagnosis-Design-Construction-Monitoring" scenario package concept, SOCO precisely adapts the same water-retention mechanism to diverse ecological governance environments, transitioning restoration models from "extensive construction" to "precision engineering".
Arid Agriculture & Extreme Cultivation Scenarios: Focusing on root-zone water retention and drip irrigation synergy, this approach significantly smooths out moisture fluctuations between dry intervals, achieving a win-win for stable yields, water conservation, and high productivity.
Grasslands, Shelterbelts, and Afforestation Scenarios: Emphasizing vegetation overwintering, spring green-up, and community recovery, it effectively combats seedling dehydration caused by harsh climates such as cold and drought.
Mines, Abandoned Lands, and Steep Slope Scenarios: Breaking past traditional "seeding engineering" limitations, this upgrades into "ecological reconstruction engineering." By combining terrain stabilization, substrate reconstruction, polymer blending, and layered vegetation establishment, it reconstructs rootable layers on hyper-arid mine slopes where machinery struggles to operate, setting a high-value benchmark for industrial restoration.
Empirical Proof of Scientific Strength: Cross-Border Verification of Ecological Benefits
During the keynote, SOCO unveiled a series of quantitative, long-term empirical data backed by multi-year controls and third-party monitoring, capturing global attention:
In Inner Mongolia, degraded grassland vegetation coverage surged from under 30% to a normalized level exceeding 80%.
In the extreme climate of Saudi Arabia, the survival rate of date palms skyrocketed from 30% to 85%.
In Pakistan’s agricultural demonstration projects, a high water-use efficiency of 26% was successfully achieved.
Through quantifiable and replicable empirical results, Qingdao SOCO has verified the robust performance and economic value of its scenario-based water-retention technology. Today, SOCO's products and technical services have expanded globally, establishing deep partnerships with government agencies, research institutions, and agricultural enterprises across more than 120 countries and regions.
Conclusion: Ensuring Plants Survive Where It Matters Most
"Ecological prosperity drives civilizational prosperity." Upholding its corporate mission to "Make every drop of water play a greater value," SOCO deeply integrates commercial success with global sustainable development. From the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, SOCO has demonstrated the professional depth of Chinese high-tech enterprises in sand control and ecological restoration. By turning the goal of "ensuring plant survival in extreme environments" into reality, SOCO continues to inject strong Chinese technological momentum into global efforts to combat land degradation and build a community of life for humanity and nature.
611-40, BLOCK A, BUILDING 11, QINGDAO SOFTWARE PARK, 288 NINGXIA ROAD, SHINAN DISTRICT, QINGDAO, SHANDONG
