As part of their survival, wild elephants migrate long distances in search of food and water. However, their travels sometimes encroach on human settlements creating tensions with local residents and farmers. That's why Spanish ecologist Ahimsa and his Chinese colleagues are busy at work in southwestern China mediating between man and elephant, finding solutions for a more harmonious coexistence.

Prof. Chen Jin of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) was awarded the prestigious Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Medal on November 23 for his great contribution to biodiversity conservation over 30 years. Ms. Caroline Wilson, the Uk’s ambassador to China, conferred the medal online to Chen Jin.

Foreign Experts in Yunnnan: Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz. An elephant expert working in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.

In a study published in Journal of Ecology, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and their collaborators attempted to determine whether variations in light, microclimatic conditions and host tree size affect the variation in species composition and phylogenetic structure of epiphytic bryophyte communities. By then, they assessed the contribution of environmental filtering, phylogenetic constraints and competition to community assembly.

In a study published in Molecular Ecology, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) tried to disentangle factors shaping outcrossing rate and genetic structure of different populations, by combining data on the spatial distribution, the behavior of pollinating birds, and the mating system.

Thilina, a Sri Lankan student whose Chinese name is Li Xiang, came to China to pursue a doctorate degree at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Mainly studying beetles here, and enjoying the good scientific environment and climate, he said "China is my second hometown.”