On 7th May 2019, Dr. Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecosystem Division of UNEP, and Mr. Chandra Manalu, Coordinator of the Office of UNEP Executive Director, visited the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Prof. Yangjian Zhang, Director of the Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Simulation; Prof. Erfu Dai, Director of the Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station; Prof. Zhigang Sun, Deputy Director of the Yucheng Intergraded Agricultural Experimental Station; Associate Prof. Xiaoli Fu from the QianyanzhouExperimental Station of Red Soil and Hilly Land; Mr. Ming Zhang, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Division of IGSNRR; and all members of UNEP – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP) participated in the meeting. Prof. Bingfang Wu from the Institute of Digital Earth and Remote Sensing of CAS was also invited to attend the meeting. The participants exchanged experiences and practices related to ecosystem research and management in China and abroad. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP.
At the meeting, Prof. Yangjian Zhang introduced the overall situation of monitoring, research, and demonstration conducted by the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), pointing out that the network is one of the largest national ecosystem research networks in the world. Prof. Bingfang Wu introduced the CropWatch tool, developed by his team, and its application progress in China, Africa, and other countries. Prof. Erfu Dai, Prof. Zhigang Sun, and Associate Prof. Xiaoli Fu introduced the basicsituation and key tasks of the three field stations respectively, emphasizing the close relationship between research tasks of CERN field stations and local social and economic development. Mr. Ming Zhang provided additional information about the major international cooperation and exchange activities recently carried out by IGSNRR.
Susan Gardner expressed her gratitude to the participants for their introduction and praised the solid and effective work of CERN. She shared information on the “Nature-based Solutions (NBS)” coalition led by UNEP in the being-convened 2019 UN Climate Summit, and the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” announced by the UN General Assembly. She believes that Chinese scientists can make positive contributions to supporting government agencies in taking part in these significant initiatives. She hopes to further strengthen international cooperation and exchanges with CAS in ecosystems, climate change, and related fields, and jointly serve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
