Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Southwest China

University of Wisconsin-Madison NSF IGERT China Program

Workshop on Biodiversity Conservation in the North-west of Yunnan Province - Summary

Kunming, Yunnan, P. R. China

A workshop on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development was held in the northwest part of Yunnan Province from August 8-18, 2002. This workshop was co-organized by the Kunming Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Kunming Institute of Zoology. It was sponsored by the Union for Biodiversity Resources Conservation and Research in Southwest China.

Forty-five representatives attended the meeting, including officials from the Biological bureau, the International Cooperation Bureau of CAS, scientists from the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ), the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) and thirteen professors and scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Several NGO organizations were also invited to the workshop, such as the Yunnan Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge and the Dongba Cultural Institute of Lijiang. The deputy commissioner of the Lijiang Administration Office attended the meeting and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Following the guidelines of the CAS, the main theme of the workshop was to promote interdisciplinary research in the areas of biodiversity resources conservation and sustainable development and foster the development of a new and innovative knowledge base in these disciplines. The workshop emphasized the importance of continued collaboration with international research institutions to further advance the status of local research and science.

The workshop was divided into two parts. The first part focused on the current facts concerning biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the Southwest China. There were five main themes:

  1. GIS Database Development for biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable development.
  2. Biological Geography and the Evolution of Fauna & Flora
  3. The ecological effects of interaction among humans, animals and animals
  4. Ecological degradation and restoration in Grasslands and sub-grass land.
  5. Participatory research and indigenous knowledge

More than twenty scholars gave speeches on the above themes.

The second part of the workshop was a discussion about strategies concerning research and collaboration. Five reports were generated from the workshop, all of which reflected the unique perspectives of the scientists involved. It was agreed that research would be both collaborative and interdisciplinary. Also agreed was that scientists from China and the University of Wisconsin would organize projects that would involve the exchange of graduate students.

In general, the workshop provided a wonderful opportunity for the University of Wisconsin and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to initiate various channels for participation and cooperation that can contribute to the spread of advanced scientific techniques globally in addition to having a long-term impact on the management of scientific research and scientific policymaking on both sides.

Back to 2002 Conference