Recently, the Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province released the Key Laboratory Construction Plan of Yunnan Province in 2022. According to the plan, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) has been approved to construct one Yunnan provincial key laboratory, namely Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Rainforest and Asian Elephant Protection. The construction period is two years (from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024).  

Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Rainforest and Asian Elephant Protection, aimed at national major strategic needs, focuses on biodiversity investigation and monitoring of tropical rainforest in Yunnan, protection of the flagship species Asian elephant, ex situ conservation and reintroduction of rare and endangered plant species, and ecological restoration of tropical rainforest, etc. 

This is the first time that XTBG has got approved to construct key provincial lab of Yunnan. 

The Yunnan provincial key laboratories are an important part of Yunnan's scientific and technological innovation base system, and a critical carrier for gathering and cultivating outstanding academic foregoers and innovation teams to carry out basic science research and applied basic research. In 2022, a total of 18 laboratories were approved to be built. 

On January 17, XTBG received the plate of the provincial key laboratory (proposed).