On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), Academician Wu Zhengyi recently wrote in memory of the establishment history of two research stations (Xishuangbanna Research Station and Ailaoshan Research Station).
In 1958, Prof. Wu Zhengyi and Prof. Li Qingkui presided over the founding of the Tropical Forest Biogeocoensis Station in Xishuangbanna, which was the first of its kind in China. The Biogeocoensis Station is predecessor of the current Xishuangbanna Research Station.
In 1980, Academician Wu Zhengyi headed up a field investigation team to Ailao Mountain’s Xujiaba Area. The site of Ailaoshan Research Station was finally decided by Botanist Wu. Proposed and presided by Academician Wu, elements for zooecology research were taken into account at the very beginning phase of the establishment of Ailaoshan Station.
Xishuangbanna Station and Ailaoshan Station are typical of tropical and subtropical forests in Yunnan respectively. They are important supporting platforms for long-term ecological studies.
Academician Wu encouraged all scientists and staff involved to persist in long-term ecological studies.
Botanist Wu Zhengyi, 92, is one of the founders of Ailaoshan Research Station. He has been engaged in botanical research and education for 70 years. As a senior academician and botanist of CAS, he is chief editor of Flora of China, which showcases of the work of three generations of botanists. His critical contributions made the book “the most comprehensive of its kind that characterizes plant species and distributions in China.”
Academician Wu Zhengyi won top science prize in 2007. “He is an authority in the fields of systematic botany and plant geography as well as plant diversity, conservation and sustainable use of plant resources”. |