The 27^th annual meeting of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and symposium on long-term ecology was held in Zhongwei, Ningxia on July 25-28. A delegation of 9 researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), led by director Xing Yaowu, attended the meeting.

On July 25, the first frontier forum on long-term ecological research was held. With the theme of “Long-term ecological research: frontier exploration and regional practice”, the forum featured seven keynote presentations and four parallel sessions on ecosystem monitoring technologies and model simulation, long-term ecosystem experiments and research, ecosystem restoration models and demonstrations, achievements and prospects of long-term ecological research at the Shapotou Destert Research Station.

The 27^th annual meeting of CERN comprised plenary sessions, presentations by exemplary research stations, specialized group meetings, forums for station/director discussions, and a field excursion to the Shapotou Station.

The 2024 CERN Outstanding Young Scientist Paper Award was held at the meeting. Dr. Hu Yuehua of XTBG received this honor for his paper "Selection dictates the distance pattern of similarity in trees and soil fungi across forest ecosystems," published in Fungal Diversity (Impact Factor 24.5).

The event brought together over 300 participants, including CAS Academicians Chen Yiyu, Fu Bojie, and Yu Guirui; CAE Academicians Zhang Jiabao and Zhu Jiaojun; Su Fenzhen, deputy director Su Fenzhen of the CAS Bureau of Science & Technology Infrastructure; alongside directors and station leaders from across the CERN network.

XTBG researchers at the meeting.

Dr. Hu Yuehua wins award.